Have Yourself Your Own Spitfire
by Valkry1
Summary: My attempt at writing fluff in a oneshot/drabble format. WallyxArtemis R&R please? Chapter 22- Endgame. SPOILERS FOR THE NEW EPISODE! This is my final one-shot for this collection, and I hope you enjoy.
1. Truth or Dare

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! No song again, though. I know, you're all crying. The suggestion of this story came from music lover bwg. I hope that this is everything she thought it would be... Probably not. This is my first _actual_ romantic one-shot instead of just flirting. I'm making big steps in my writing of fanfiction career. (Psh... who am I kidding? What career?) So yah... review. Do it. I know when you story alert/favorite this. And I DO accept anon reviews, so I KNOW that all of you people have the capabilities of reviewing! **

**Disclaimer: Please stop teasing me. I don't own it. If I did... A bit of spitfire would already be in the cartoon.**

**Truth or Dare**

Artemis slammed her head down on the desk. She really needed to get a tutor if she was going to pass Chemistry. This homework was impossible, and it was only the fourth week of school! Someone sat down next to her. "Need any help?" he asked. She looked up. It was Robin.

"Er, how can you help me?" she asked. The kid was a freshman. A genius, but still a freshman.

"You'd be surprised." He nodded knowingly and leaned over to look at her homework. Then, he actually began to explain it. But all Artemis heard out of his mouth was what the teacher from Charlie Brown used to say... "wah wah wah..."

"Ugh. Stop. You're just confusing me more!" she complained. Robin stopped with a hurt expression on his face and he stood up.

"Well fine then. Guess you _don't___need any help." He walked out of the room and she continued on her tortuous work page.

Ten minutes and one of M'gann's cookies later, nothing was finished. She'd re-read her book about four hundred times, but everything seemed like gibberish to her. The refrigerator door opened behind her and she spun around. Wally. Wally was a science freak. He might possibly be able to help. "Hey, Baywatch!" she called out, getting his attention.

"What?" the speedster asked, crumbs from the cookie he was eating spraying everywhere.

"You're good at science, help me!" she demanded. Wally looked confused, but then a devious glint entered his eye.

"Fine, I'll help you. But..." he trailed off.

"But what?" Artemis practically screamed. Chemistry can do that to a person.

"You have to play a game." Artemis didn't like the sound of this.

"...What game..." she asked slowly.

"Truth or Dare, of course! Kaldur will only play if Robin does, Robin will only play if Conner does, Conner will only play if M'gann does, and she'll only play if you do. And you, under normal circumstances, won't." It was true. Wally had been begging her to play for a while, each time she'd said no. "If you want my help, you _have_ to play." She really did need help...

"Fine. **One** game and **one** game only." Wally smiled in agreement. Of course, he was only doing this so he might possibly get to kiss M'Gann. After all, you can't say no to a dare!

Twenty minutes later, all six of the teens were seated in a circle in the living room. "Rob, you go first," Wally stated. The youngest boy smiled. "Truth or dare?" Wally asked.

"Dare."

"Okay, I dare you to... erm... lick the toilet bowl!"

"Wow Wally, you must be really proud to have thought up such an original dare." When the two boys were younger, Robin had dared him to do the exact same thing. Wally had never forgotten it.

The teens crowded off to the bathroom, where they watched Robin expertly lick the toilet seat. Wally satisfied, they went back to the living room, but not before Artemis whispered to Robin, "You didn't really, did you?" He shook his head and grinned. That was the perk of working with Batman to track down the Joker. You learned to do some illusions.

"Conner, you go next!" Robin said excitedly. Superboy frowned. (Eh, not sure how he knows how to play, but whatever.)

"Truth."

"Do you hate Superman for not taking you in as a son?"

"No comment."

"You _have_ to comment, Supey!"

"Fine. Yes. M'gann, truth or dare?"

"Truth!" the green girl chirped.

"How long have you had an intense crush on me?" Conner asked, trademark frown etching at his features.

"Since I first saw you!" she said, with no embarrassment. The two looked at each other in a way Wally hoped he'd never have on his own face. Yes, even Superboy looked a bit sappy.

"Artemis," M'gann said, "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Artemis answered grouchily.

"Hmm..." M'gann thought hard for a second. "Hello Megan! Do a back handspring! Lamest dare ever, but that's okay!" She smiled so largely, Artemis was sure her face would split. But of course, she did it. Easily and perfectly.

"Um," Artemis looked for her victim, "Kaldur, truth or dare?"

The Atlantean pondered his options for a moment and replied, "What do you miss most about Atlantis?"

"My friends, Tula and Garth." That was a simple enough answer. "Robin, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Go eat the rest of M'Gann's cookies."

Wally began to protest. "No fair! Cookie eating? I would do that for free!"

Robin grinned as he opened the fridge door. "Looks like you already did. My dare has been completed for me. Now... Wally. Truth or dare?"

Wally answered immediately. "Dare!"

He regretted that decision. Judging by the look in Robin's eye, this wouldn't be good. Rob smiled. "Alrighty, you have to kiss Artemis full on the lips and mean it for at least 10 seconds."

Artemis gasped. "Oh my gosh, NO. I refuse to do this! I'll fail Chem!"

Wally, who really didn't want to do this either but refused to look wimpy, simply said, "You can't back out. You already promised to play."

Bound by her word, Artemis steeled herself. If she was going to have to do this, might as well play it up. Wally stood up and walked to where she was seated. Sighing to herself, she stood up as well and he put his arms around her waist. He looked nervous. Like, _really_ nervous. If he was going to show weakness, than she'd just have to take advantage of it. Putting her own arms around his neck, she moved in faster than he anticipated.

Surprisingly, Wally was a really good kisser. Immediately, his lips morphed to match the shape of her own.

"_Ten... nine... eight..."_

She wasn't quite sure how much of this she'd be able to stand.

"_Seven... six... five..."_

Wally, on the other hand, was enjoying himself. Who knew that the girl he hated would turn out to be the girl he was kissing right now? M'gann would have been better, but at least he was kissing _someone_.

"_Four... three... two..."_

Actually, this wasn't so bad for Artemis either.

"_One... _Okay guys. You can stop now."

But Wally didn't want to stop, and judging by Artemis' lack of pulling away, she didn't either. Unfortunately, all things come to an end, including first kisses. When both pulled away, Artemis realized she was breathless. She hadn't taken a breath during that entire time, and apparently kissing uses up oxygen quicker than swimming does. She noticed with satisfaction that Wally was bright red. As red as his hair. "Lookin' a bit pink there, Wall-Man."

He grinned. "I sunburn easily."

**A/N: This was a whole lot different than anything I've ever written. As I said before, I'm REALLY new to fluff writing, and this is no exception. Anyways, did I nail or fail it? Let me know by pushing that pretty review button! Homecoming part 2 will be going up tomorrow and part 3 will most likely be finished by Sunday but I refuse to post either of them unless I get AT LEAST six reviews... So... that should be everything! If you have a suggestion for the next oneshot I write, TELL ME. Seriously. If you don't tell me, I won't update. Ever.**


	2. Fall for You Again

**A/N~ Hey. If you're reading this, I really congratulate you. I mean, out of all of the fantastic YJ fics, you found mine. Thanks! This is my first YJ fanfic, so review please... don't make me beg you. Constructive criticism would be very helpful, but don't be mean! My heart can only take so much! ;) To listen to the song, copy and paste the watch?v thingy to the end of the youtube url. (youtube . com/ **watch?v=c1O9DyFLIKo) Remove the spaces!****

**Disclaimer: If I owned YJ... I wouldn't be on fanfic now, would I?**

**Song: Fall for You**

**By: Secondhand Serenade**

**watch?v=c1O9DyFLIKo**

Wally sighed, staring at the TV screen. He wasn't watching anything, namely because Conner was sitting on the couch next to him and the clone wouldn't do anything except stare at static, but Wally was okay with that. Right now, he needed to think.

"_Just leave, Wally." He stared at the slammed door of the apartment. Raising his hand, he almost knocked again. Thinking better of it, he turned and ran off, out of the building, out of the city. _

What was that, the seventh argument of the week? Wally shook his head. Girls were so confusing. What had he even done? Well, it could have something to do with getting mad when she asked him to explain a science problem. Or maybe it was because he had said that some new girl at their school was hot. Oh... that was it... From there, everything had spiraled out of control.

He slammed his forehead into his palm. He should have known! Robin had even told him to never comment on other girls' bodies around your girlfriend. But how would Wally have remembered that? After all, Wally was... Wally!

Artemis stared angrily at the wood grain of her desk. He was getting on her every nerve lately. Every last one of them! She couldn't understand why he didn't see when he was wrong. He never admitted that she was right and had horrible tact. Just then, a tap on her window broke her concentration. Her hatred melted away into curiosity as she stared at the glass. Another tap sounded, and she watched as a rock fell away out of her view. She crept towards the window and looked out. It was a horrible day, rainy and cold, but there he was underneath the streetlamp, hair reflecting the light so he looked like he was on fire. She smiled a little, than stopped, remembering that she hated him right now.

When she opened the window ever so slightly, she heard him yell, "Arty, can I talk to you?" Without waiting for her to reply, he disappeared and a knock sounded on the front door of the small flat she lived in with her mom. Stalking into the kitchen, she opened the door. "What?" she demanded. Wally reached inside his jacket and pulled out something. "I'm sorry Arty. I was a jerk. A really stupid and idiotic jerk. I bought this for you." He thrust out a rose, petals slightly bent, but otherwise beautiful. Artemis took it, carefully. Looking up, she could see the concern and regret etched into the boy opposite of her. Smiling, she held the door open to let him in.

"I forgive you Wally."

**Okay, so there it is. My first YJ oneshot. I'm hoping to do a series of song inspired fics, with the songs posted on the top of every chapter. Erm... Tell me if you liked it... hated it... if it needed work...**

**Personally, this isn't my most favorite piece I've ever done, but this was a start for me. I've never written fluff before, afterall! Oh, and I know this was short. I'm sorry for that. I'll try to make things longer! Anyways...**

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**Please?**


	3. Lullaby

**Heh. This is a LOT longer than my first upload. Like, twice as long. Anyways, I got writer's block, so my dear friend iSniffMarkers helped me with the theme of this one. Anyways, per every story I shall upload from now on, this one has a song that goes with it... And that song would be LULLABY. Link is here, remove the spaces, blah blah blah: (http:/www. youtube. com/ watch?v=xirTGyEog8s). And now for my little Ad. **

"**Anons, Constructive Critics, and Suggestions are accepted! Apply by clicking the 'Review Button' below!" Okay, its over. I promise.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, you wouldn't be reading this. You'd be watching it.**

**Song: Lullaby**

**By: The Spill Canvas**

Artemis breathed deeply through her nose. At least, she tried to. The airflow was stopped by whatever had caused her nose to become so red and inflamed. "Ugh..." she groaned inwardly. Now was not a good time to get a cold. She reached for the box of tissues that permanently stayed by her bed in her room at Mount Justice. The mission from last night had ended late because she'd been frozen into a block of solid ice by Captain Cold and it had taken a while to completely unfreeze, so here she was. Staying in her rather empty room. "I really ought to make this more homey..." she said out loud.

Realizing she had to pee, Artemis stood up and got out of the bed. She threw on a bathrobe in case anyone unsavory was lurking the halls (namely Wally) and headed out the door. It was a short trip to the bathroom that she shared with M'Gann, but halfway there, she began to feel nauseous. Three quarters there and she was on her knees, frantically racing to get to the end of the corridor. After crawling for what felt like an eternity (and by the way she was feeling, she honestly doubted she'd even have a percent of that time to live,) she stumbled into the bathroom. It was all she could do not to upchuck right then and there on the floor. "So close..." she moaned, setting her sights on the porcelain bowl that laid ahead of her. Grasping the cold ceramic, she bent her head over it.

Wally was bored. Everyone was gone. Kaldur had decided to make an impromptu trip back to Atlantis to help out his newly-wedded friends, Robin was in Gotham on patrol, M'Gann had dragged Conner to the mall, and he never knew where Artemis was, so she wasn't even worth thinking about. He flipped through the channels on the television. "Funded by multiple millionaires, and there isn't _anything_ on TV!" he muttered in frustration. Throwing the remote on the table, he stretched. _Might as well take a walk..._ he thought to himself. And this time, he would promise himself to walk like a normal person. At least, _try_ to walk like a normal person.

The best place to haunt if you are a guy and no one is around is the "girl" hallways. Their clean, smelled good, and was full of places Wally hadn't yet seen. Places he technically wasn't _allowed_ to see. As he walked through the hallways, he took mental note of where everything was. Rooms were accounted for, the exact scent of the air was tabbed in his mind, and he analyzed everything. After all, what good is a science wiz if he doesn't practice his skills? "Lavender... cookie crumbs..." Wally noted, satisfied. Basically, the hallways smelled like M'Gann, and he liked that. All of a sudden, a horrible retching noise came from his left. Spinning wildly, he faced a door he hadn't yet opened. Slowly, cautiously, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. But inside, instead of finding some awful creature ready to eat him, there was Artemis throwing up. Wait... Artemis? Throwing up? Showing weakness? The chick was almost as stoic as Robin, yet here she was, spewing her guts into the toilet. She appeared so sick that she didn't even notice Wally walk in. He almost felt bad for her. Ah well, time for joke would be later. Stepping up, he noticed that her hair was out of the trademark ponytail and looked a mess... and in the way. Kneeling next to her, he gathered up the blonde strands that fell near her face and held them up behind her head for her. They _were_ teammates after all.

Artemis felt so sick. In fact, this was the sickest she'd ever felt and she'd had the swine flu! The bowl in front of her was all that was keeping her attached to some sanity now and that was slowly slipping away. Suddenly, she felt the hair that fell around her face moved, but she felt too weak to protest. She just kept spilling her stomach into the toilet.

When it was all over and all that was left was the churning of her stomach, a glass of water was shoved in her face. She accepted it and drank the water greedily after washing out her mouth. Finally looking up to see who was there, she expected to see M'Gann, Kaldur, or even Robin. But never, NEVER would she have expected to look up into the concerned eyes of a ginger. Conner would be at her deathbed before Kid Idiot. "Are you alright?" he asked, genuinely troubled. _Snarky comeback would be good about now... _she thought. "Do I look fine?" she snapped, instantly regretting it. But instead of saying anything in return, he simply turned to grab the washcloth that laid on the counter next to the sink. He held it out to her, and she took it, confused. "C'mon, let's get you back to bed." Artemis tried to stand, but another wave of nausea flowed over her, forcing her to sit promptly back down on the cold tile. Wally bent and picked her up, bridal style.

"Um, Wally...?"

"Just trust me, okay?" And for some reason, she did.

Wally couldn't believe what he was doing. Not responding with a witty phrase? Giving her a washcloth? CARRYING HER BACK TO HER ROOM? Really. What had gotten in to him? Looking down at the sleeping girl he now had in his arms, he was shocked. She really wasn't too horrible looking, and when she was asleep, she actually did look peaceful. He always knew she was pretty (hot, really) but she was also _way_ off limits since they hated each other. In fact, he didn't even bother to flirt with her.

He reached the room with the engraved "ARTEMIS" on the door and backed into it, careful not to knock her feet into the door frame. He was surprised at how simple the room looked. In fact, everything was gray. He headed over to the plain bed and put her back into it and straightened the mussed covers. He really ought to quite playing house wife today.

When Artemis woke up, she was back in her room. Her study lamp was on, and someone was sitting in her desk chair. Sitting up, she tried to call to them, but her voice came as a rasp and her head began to spin. But the person stood, and came over to the bed. "Hey Arty. Good thing you're awake." Really? Wally was in her room? She didn't know whether to be mad or touched that he was creepily there while she felt sick. "Would you like some soup? I think M'Gann has leftovers in the fridge." Before waiting for her to answer him, he'd left. While he was gone, she began to think back over the day. She'd woken up sick, run to the restroom, thrown up, gotten walked in on by Wally, and she was now in her bed. Thinking made her head hurt and she drifted back to sleep.

"_Just trust me, okay?" She nodded, and relaxed into his arms. He was really well built. She never would have guessed that such a jerk could be so muscled. Wait, who was the jerk? "This is a dream, right?" she asked the faceless person abover her. "Mmhmm..." he'd muttered. _

"_Who are you?" _

"_Anyone you want me to be. Probably the person your subconscious has a crush on."_

_So why did the faceless jerk look so much like Kid Flash? Now THAT was something to think about..._

Wally returned to her room, ladened with the soup and some cookies for himself. But when he walked back in, she was asleep again. Shrugging, he placed the food on her desk and settled himself back down in the chair.

The next morning came rather quickly. Artemis' eyes popped open and she shot up feeling ten times better than the day before. But that was before she saw the miserable thing passing for a human being sitting on her chair. Wally was groaning awfully and looked a bit green. "Er, Wally, are you okay?" she asked. "Do I look okay?" he moaned. Inwardly she smiled to herself. Gosh, she must have been a pain to put up with yesterday.

"C'mon, let's get you to the bathroom."

**A/N So... how'd you like it? SERIOUSLY. I WANT TO KNOW. I wasted perfectly good homework time on this one, so please push the Review button! C'mon... you know you wanna! And guys, I have serious issues with writer's block, so if there are any plot lines you'd like me to attempt please do tell. Otherwise I won't update, you won't get a nice email saying that I've updated (those of you who put this on alert), and my writing dreams get crushed. So remember... REVIEW and SUGGEST. R&S!**

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	4. Last Time Standing on Top of the World

**Ooh, hello again. I've been officially ungrounded, so I'll try and get everything uploaded in the next couple of days. **

**One note about last update: I love you all to death. Seriously, I do. What I love most about all of you is your very observant natures. Out of 971 words, many of you noticed that I messed up on Wally's eye color. It seriously astounds me you all caught that. Anyways, it's been fixed. **

**This story was a prompt from Student of the Arts (and I'm pretty sure it was Robin's Star to be particular, if I'm not mistaken.) I had to write about the last time standing on top of the world and my characters were Wally and Cheshire. Interesting mix, right? So this was my take on the whole thing. It took me **_**forever**_** to think of a conflict, setting, and so on and so forth. **

**Uh, if paragraphs are in italics, that means it's a flashback. That should be all! I hope you enjoy The Last Time Standing on Top of the World!**

Scrambling over the rocky face, Wally gasped for breath. He'd been at this for hours. Somehow something had been put up to block his trained super speed. The mountain loomed above him menacingly, but he couldn't stop. Not here. He realized that without his speed, he was nothing. Everything he'd for had revolved around the power. Batman had warned him, but _no_, Wally took things into his own hands. He did things _his_ way and no one else's. There could never be a situation where he didn't have speed to his advantage. Til now, that is.

No regrets. That was his motto. Well, one of them. He wasn't going to break it now, though. His eyes darted around the landscape and he pushed himself onward. But soon, as Wally struggled to climb while the air became thinner and a whole lot colder, he found that he _did_ have regrets. He regretted flirting with M'gann since it made her uncomfortable and she was clearly into Superboy. He regretted making an F on last week's history test because he'd spent the entire time staring at the blonde chick across the room. There was a prank he'd planned on Artemis with Robin that was never done. He'd never learned Rob's secret identity, either. But most of all, he regretted never telling Artemis his true feelings about her. The fact of the matter, whether he liked or not, was that he was quite certain he'd fallen in love with her between arguments.

But now for the true matter at hand. How exactly had he managed to land in this awful trap? He'd been sent on a simple recon mission. All he'd had to do was run up the mountainside to a hidden laboratory, peek around, then run back down to the team and the bioship.

_ Unfortunately, somehow the bad guys knew he was coming. Once he'd passed onto the apparent territory, he'd skidded to a halt painfully, tumbling head over heels. Standing up, he tried to run (at a normal pace) back towards his friends, but an evilly hissing noise came from in front of him. Picking up a leaf from the ground, he stretched his arm out and gently pressed it forward. Immediately, it sizzled and dissolved into cinders. _

_ A voice that was eerily familiar boomed through the sparse trees. "Run, run, run as fast as you can!" a maniacal cackle sounded. "If we catch you, you're a dead man!" _

"_Ooh! Mistah J made a funny!" said someone in the background._

_A weight formed in Wally's stomach. Run? Without super speed? That was like asking Robin to take off the glasses. But he was out of time. Taking off, he headed in the most sensible direction now: up._

The ridge was so close now. Just barely in his reach, even. He pulled himself over more rocks. A padded footstep crunching on the thin layer of snow behind him pushed Wally onwards. He just needed to make it a little further.

"Going somewhere?" a women's voice floated on the wind. It sounded so painfully like someone he knew.

Wally scraped his knuckles on the rocks as he srabbled over the ridge to find a drop into a deep, dark pit. He was trapped.

A searing pain bloomed from his right hand. Almost afraid to look, he grimaced as he saw a sai protruding from his flesh. Wally gritted his teeth and willed himself not to scream.

"I'm going to kill you, you know," the voice came again. A lean, muscular woman wearing a mask came into Wally's view as he twisted around to see who had spoken. She smiled cruelly and stepped gracefully up a few rocks to yank her weapon out of Wally's hand. He bit back the scream that tried to rip itself out of his body.

Easily, the cat-like woman flipped him onto his back. She sat down on him, pinning his arms, legs, and torso to the ground.

"Oh don't worry, sweetie. I'm not going to cause you quite as much pain as the other's might. In many ways, I'm doing you a favor. Laughing yourself to death is no way to go."

"What're," Wally gasped, "what're you doing here, Cheshire? I thought… I thought you worked for Sportsmaster."

"True, but I also do odd jobs on the side for a little extra cash. Between you and me, I would have done this job for free if my temporary employers hadn't offered me such a generous sum. But enough chit-chat." Cheshire stood up, dragging Wally to his feet. "Tell me, my dear. How does it feel to spend your last moments on the top of the world?"

Wally took a deep breath. "I'm going to die today, there's no doubt in my mind about that. But my friends aren't going to stand by and watch. They _will_ find you and bring you to justice." He sagged in her grip, worn out from the monologue. The weight of death pressed itself over him, threatening to choke him.

"But you see, Kid Flash, I will get away with this. I'm sure your friends will try to pursue me, but my sweet sister won't be able to bring herself to harm me." Cheshire grinned as Wally's face registered shock. "That's right, my sister. Artemis." Cheshire shook him, making him flail as his feet tried to find purchase on the loose earth.

"Y-you're lying."

"Don't you wish I am?" She stared at him intensely, as if peering into his innermost thoughts. "You have feelings for her, don't you?" She asked again, softer.

"Why does it matter?"

Her face hardened again. "You're right. It doesn't. Goodbye, Kid Flash. I'll give my baby sister your farewells."

The solid object anchoring Wally was gone. All that was left was darkness and wind.

They say, in your final moments, your whole life flashes before your eyes. This was not so for Wally West. Only one thought was in his mind: the mysterious grey eyes belonging to Artemis Crock.

The thick air silenced the thud of the body on the rock below.

All of was calm at the top of the world.

**So… What'd you think? TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME! But I won't beg you.**

**Instead, I'll bribe you with Kid Flash plushies. **

…**Review please? If anyone else has any story prompts, send 'em my way, cause I'll write them. I've got a few that people have sent me, I just have yet to upload them.**

**Love all of you!**

**Val**


	5. No One Hates Halloween

**Helloooo! I meant to update yesterday, I swear, but I couldn't think of ANYTHING! I was on complete brain freeze! So today, I was _going_ to update Homecoming, but I'm not. Sorry. It's halfway written though! You'll probably get it tomorrow, but no promises. Anyways, in honor of Halloween, I have my first holiday special! XD Read it, review it, love it (or hate it, but tell me why.) I love all of my readers and reviewers so much! Getting 66 reviews in just under a week is incredible for anyone, but especially for me. :3 I'm really touched people read my rambling... I hope you enjoy this update and I'll update again soon!**

**Disclaimer: You would have had an episode of YJ last week if I owned it. And there would be definite Spitfire planned for the show. No more SuperMartian (sorry if you like that pairing...)**

**No One can Hate Halloween**

"Do I really have to wear this?" grumbled a very discontent Conner. M'Gann rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Of course you do! We're Two Peas in a Pod!" She straightened her green pea costume. It had been difficult to get Conner to even entertain the idea of Trick-or-Treating. He had no idea what the holiday was about, after all. Turns out those G-gnomes didn't teach about culture... Just fighting tactics.

Artemis dragged a very disgruntled Wally into the living room. She didn't look happy herself, but she'd gotten dressed up to appease M'Gann. The Martian went crazy for all of the holidays, and Halloween was no exception.

Wally looked much less content than Artemis. He was dressed as, well, actually he was dressed as himself. His reasoning behind it was that no one knew he was Kid Flash, so as long as he didn't wear certain trademarks of the outfit, in this case, he dropped the goggles, no one would think twice about it. Apparently Uncle Barry was fine with it too... since he was going as adult Flash. Barry had claimed he was "chaperoning," but Wally had explained later that he was really going to get candy.

Artemis was dressed up like her namesake, the goddess Artemis. Apparently, all she'd done was pin a sheet together and made a toga. Easy enough.

M'Gann grinned as she saw her friends. "Everyone, you look amazing! Now we just need to wait for Robin and Kal to show up, and we'll be ready to go!" Her grin was unaffected by the glowers she received.

Just then, the Atlantean walked into the room. He didn't look too unhappy, in fact, he looked as if he were trying to contain excitement.

"Er, Kal? What are you?" Artemis asked, blunt but gentle. The boy was wearing what looked like very colourful wings. Yellow and orange to be exact.

"I am a graduating warrior. Where I am from, when one studies magic in the form of battle art, they graduate wearing wings shaped after the angel fish's fins." He said this so matter-of-factly and confidently, that Artemis didn't have the heart to tell him that it looked rather odd.

"All we wait for now is Robin," M'Gann threw out. Suddenly, a thud sounded behind the group. Turning, they saw a very small Batman.

"Like it?" Robin asked, puffing out his chest and putting his hands on his hips.

The group had to admit, it was the best out of the group. And knowing Rob, he probably had a stash of weapons hidden in the prop toolbelt. "Just in case" of course.

"Let's go!" M'Gann squealed. Groaning, the group followed her to the zeta beams where they teleported into Happy Harbor.

When they arrived into town, the groups decided to divide and conquer. Conner and M'Gann took the east side of town, Kaldur and Robin took the west, and Artemis and Wally took the south. The latter wasn't exactly thrilled about their partnership.

"Don't make me go with him, M'Gann. I swear, you'll regret this. He'll eat ALL of the candy!"

Wally complained about the same thing.

"Actually, Artemis will eat _everything_."

"Are you calling me fat, Baywatch?"

"...No..."

"You were, weren't you! Oh, you'll pay for that!"

"Even if I run at normal speed, you couldn't catch me even if you tried!"

"I have to keep up with you every day! And I haven't missed a punch on you yet!"

"You did yesterday."

Their voices disappeared into the distance as the other groups went their separate ways.

Robin and Kal walked along a well lit neighborhood. "Where to first?" Robin asked. Kaldur shrugged.

"I have never participated in this celebration. You make the choice."

Robin rolled his eyes and took off towards a fancier looking neighborhood. Where the rich are, the better candy tended to be hidden somewhere.

Conner and M'Gann made it through about four houses before both agreed to go back to Mount Justice. M'Gann's hopes were dashed. She thought this holiday would be a lot of fun, but Artemis and Wally's bickering had slightly crushed her mood, and she realized that just walking around asking for candy was the exact same thing as going to the store and buying her own.

Conner just hated dressing up.

On the south side, Wally and Artemis had fallen silent. "You know, its really quiet out here," Wally said.

"No duh, Baywatch."

"I was just saying it was really peaceful."

Silence fell again.

A few moments later, Artemis spoke. "Wally, why'd you agree to come out here and trick-or-treat? I know you kind of hate this holiday, even though candy is involved, I just don't know why."

Wally sighed. "It's really embarrassing." He rubbed his neck. "When I was a kid and I went trick-or-treating, some guy jumped out of the bushes at me. He and all of his friends surrounded me. It was pitch-black and they were in black morph suits, so I couldn't see them and I kept running into them. After that, I never went trick-or-treating again." He chuckled as if to relieve the awkwardness of the situation.

"So, what, this is like your first time out trick-or-treating in seven years?"

"More than that, actually. Maybe nine?"

"You mean to tell me that you're afraid of stuff that happened when you were six? You have to be kidding me, West." But she could tell this was no joke and suddenly, she felt the urge to hold his hand.

Acting on impulse, she slipped her hand into his own. His grip tightened immediately. It wasn't a grip that spoke fear, she could tell he wasn't afraid anymore, instead it was one of warmth and friendship. She was really glad he decided not to make this awkward.

"So, which house should we go to first?" she asked.

Some time later, around midnight, the two teens beamed back into Mount Justice. It was dark, and they assumed everyone had already gone off to bed.

"Well... that was fun," Artemis said, filling the silence.

"Yah, it was. I guess I'll count candy in the morning," Wally added.

"G'night then."

"G'night."

As Artemis turned away though, she felt Wally grab her arm and pull her to him. Her chin was tilted up and suddenly, she felt lips brush quickly over her own. Then he was gone. He'd sped off with his super speed leaving Artemis there alone, confused, and filled with a happy warmth.

**So... did you like it? I hope you did. If so, tell me why! If not, tell me why anyways! 15 reviews and I promise I'll update again tomorrow. I seriously will. RL can be a pain sometimes. FRIDAY, THERE WILL BE ANOTHER YJ EPISODE! XD I'm so excited!**

**Review pretty please! (I use way to many exclamation points...Aren't I the preppy one.)**

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	6. Homecoming Part 1

**Hello all! It's me again. This idea was sent to me by scarlett mist, and I want to thank her very much! Unfortunately, I really couldn't think of a song that could go with this update, so sorry. Also, I'll be making this particular story into a 2 part thing, so tell me if I should continue it or not.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own it.**

**Gotham Academy~ Science Class**

**Thursday- 11:45 am**

Science had to be the worst class of the day. It was full of words she didn't understand and it included math. MATH. Of all things to include... why that? At least next period was lunch. She'd meet back up with Dick and Babs in the dining hall. That is, if she could find them. That room was _massive_.

She began to space out in the class. Clouds were always much more entertaining than what was on the board ahead of her.

"Ms. Crock?" Mr. Redit said sternly. "What is the answer?"

She shook herself and quickly glanced around the room. What was the right thing to say in a situation like this? "Er, sorry sir, I couldn't hear you. Could you please repeat it?"

"Artemis, if you cannot pay attention from where you are seated, I will be forced to move you up front." Snickering filled the class and the teacher turned back to the board. "As I was saying..."

"_Rrriiinnnggg!"_

Immediately, all of the chairs squealed across the floor and the students evacuated the class in a mad rush to get their lunch first, Artemis included. As she was pushed out into the hallway, she figured it was best if she texted Babs to ask where they should meet up. Sticking her hand into the pocket of her blazer, she fished around for her small phone. "Gum wrapper... receipt... Where is it?" she muttered. Artemis switched which hand she was carrying her books in and searched the right pocket. It was no where to be found. "Crap!" she exclaimed. This wasn't good. She had a mandatory meeting with the dean after school today about how she was adjusting to Gotham Academy, and without that phone, she had no way of telling her mom what she'd be doing. Her mother wasn't perfect, but after all she'd lost, Artemis didn't blame her for wanting a constant update on Artemis' life. Let's also not forget that Artemis _needed_ her phone. She was fifteen years old! What good teenager _doesn't_ have a phone? Suddenly, it hit her. She'd left it at Mount Justice the night before after training. But how would she be able to get that phone by this afternoon? Kid Flash. He didn't have school today, most likely because he was feigning sick, so he'd stayed at the mountain for the day. And there was no need to mention his superspeed. Calming herself, she reasoned that she could ask Babs at lunch to borrow her cell to call Wally and, if he was feeling sympathetic, he could run it down for her.

Rushing into the lunch room, Artemis frantically looked left and right down the ginormous room. At a table on the far end, she could barely make out a small freshman boy that she knew was Dick. Pushing past the large crowd of people that were headed for the lunch line, she managed to make it to the table pretty quickly. "Dick! Where's Babs?" she asked urgently.

"Babs is getting her food," the freshman said nonchalantly. "May I _help_ you?" As great of a friend the kid was, sometimes he really knew how to get under someone's skin.

"Actually, yes." Dick looked surprised. Usually she would have said something snarky back. "I need your phone." Now he was really surprised. "_Now!"_ she snapped. He fumbled in his messenger bag on the floor and tossed her his top of the line cell phone. She caught it with ease.

"May I ask who you're planning on calling?"

"No." The line began to ring as the call was put through. "C'mon... pick up..." Finally, someone answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Er, hey, Wally... its Artemis."

"Oh. Hi. What?"

"Could you do me a favor please? I left my phone on my desk in my room. You're at the mountain, right?" She could hear a slight 'mmhmm.' "Okay, could you _please_ bring it to me today?"

"And why should I do that?"

"Because if you don't, I'll tell your uncle that you aren't really sick."

"...Fine." The line went dead and she sighed in relief. Sitting back down at the table, she slid the phone back to Dick who caught it and grudgingly put it back in his bag.

"You aren't going to tell me anything, are you?" he asked again. Artemis just began to dig into her sack lunch.

**Gotham Academy~After school**

**4:30 pm**

Artemis sighed drearily. She was sitting on the steps outside the front of the school building. The meeting with the dean was over and Wally still hadn't brought her cell phone over. This is what she got for trusting the speedster.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a group of girls walking towards her. Looking up and flashing a smile when they walked up to the steps, they stopped and stared at her.

"What are you looking at, scholarship kid?" Artemis froze, smile plastered on her face. Wiping the stupid grin, she lowered her head. "Nothing..." she muttered.

"What was that?" the head girl asked. She was pretty, in that fake, Barbie way. Everything about her was perfect; from her dyed blonde hair all the way down to her polished shoes, anyone could see that this girl had money. "I didn't hear what you said." Artemis was pretty sure the girl's name was Brittni.

Artemis took a deep breath. "I said that I wasn't looking at anything," she explained calmly.

"Oh you did, did you? Because I don't think that's right. What about you, girls?" The group behind her murmured in agreement. Brittni's voice lowered to a dangerous whisper. "I can see right through your defiant eyes, you know. You're scared of me. I have people who listen to me, a wonderful boyfriend, and most of all, I have money. You don't really have any of those three now, do you?"

Artemis stood, about to defend herself. "Ooh... the new kid is going to try and make a name for herself!" exclaimed a girl who didn't look incredibly intelligent. She had a fake tan and brown, wavy hair.

"Shut it, Amber," Brittni snapped. Amber let out a small 'eep' and fell silent. Then she turned to address Artemis again. "Look, Arty. No matter what you say, something bad happens to you. If you hurt me, I'll have my boyfriend come beat you senseless. If you embarrass me, I'll make sure the rest of your school days here are miserable. If you run away, I'll embarrass you in front of the entire student body. It's a win-win for me, and a lose-lose for you."

Just then, much to Artemis' chagrin (and small amount of relief) a voice spoke up from behind her. "No one calls her Arty except me."

She spun around to face the newcomer. "Wally!"

"And another thing, if your boyfriend even touches Artemis here, I'll come and hurt him back."

Brittni snickered. "What exactly are you supposed to be, her bodyguard?"

Amber called out, "He's kind of cute!"

"Shut up, Amber."

Wally stepped forward, in front of Artemis, protecting her. "Actually, I'm her boyfriend."

Artemis felt as if she'd died. Oh gosh, this couldn't be happening to her. But before her very eyes, Brittni appeared to transform. A silky tone was added to her voice and she stepped back, purring, "Oh, my apologies. Girls?" And she turned and went into the school building.

"What... was that?" Artemis asked, slightly awed, slightly peeved. Wally turned back around to her and handed her her phone.

"Hey, sorry it took me so long," he said. Artemis just shook her head.

"Thanks for coming, Wally."

The ginger winked. "No problem. I'll see you later, okay?"

As he sped away, Artemis collapsed back onto the stairs of the school, cheeks burning. What had just happened?

**Gotham Academy**

**Friday- 12:00 pm**

Artemis stalked into the lunch room, hungry, tired, and irritated at her history teacher. Why did he have to through a pop quiz today? As she headed towards Babs, who was actually sitting at the table on time today, she was stopped by Brittni. Great. Just what she needed. "May I help you?" she asked, steeling herself for what was about to come. Brittni just smiled a bit evilly.

"Artemis, may I call you Arty?"

"No."

"Arty, tomorrow is Homecoming."

"So?"

"Are you planning on _going_?"

"Uh, not really."

Brittni smiled a bit more. "Good. We don't want you there anyways. Now we'll be able to have loads more fun since none of the scholarship kids will be there."

Dang. Artemis had to hand it to her, Brittni really knew how to try to make someone upset. But Artemis wasn't affected in the way Brittni had hoped. Actually, she just got mad.

"You know what, I've changed my mind. I _will_ be going. And I'll be bringing my boyfriend." Yah, her nonexistent one.

"Perfect." The grin on Brittni's face was growing large enough to match the Joker. Artemis really did need to keep her mouth shut. Who knows what would happen tomorrow now?

**And that's the end of Part 1! I'll upload the actual dance tomorrow... I know what I'll do for that. So, please review. Reviews I want include constructive criticisms, anon, and plot suggestions. Anything you might say, I'll certainly take into consideration because I'm way to new to this. So... Review. If you do, I'll give you a plushie. But not really cause I don't have that much money. **


	7. Homecoming Part 2

**A/N: I do believe this is the shortest update I've ever had. Ah well, you'll get over it. Here's part two of Homecoming. Part three will be uploaded on Sunday, and tonight I'll put up another drabble of mine. I hope you enjoy it! :D (Don't forget to R&R) Please review! If you don't review, I don't update. Seriously, it makes a difference. As of right now, I have broken my chapter update, hits, visitors, and reviews record. I want to thank all of you so much for your support! Its people like you that inspire and encourage me to keep writing!**

**Mount Justice**

**5:00 pm- Training (aka Confronting Wally)**

Artemis hopped to her right, dodging a punch thrown at her by Kid Flash. They were a good match, despite her complete lack of powers. She jumped and flipped in the air as he ran at her, full speed. She barely had enough time to jump.

"Hey, Baywatch, I need to ask you something," she said, drop-kicking his shin.

"What?" he asked, dodging her foot and speeding around to her other side.

Artemis blocked his attempt at a punch and swung at him. She grazed his chin, but he stepped back, throwing her weight off balance and she tumbled forward. At the last minute, she put her hands in front of her and did a complete handspring, landing to his left. Her elbow shot out and hit his temple.

Kid Flash went down faster than a rock.

And he was up again a good deal faster. But not even Kid Flash could outwit the computer system.

"Kid Flash. Status: Failed."

Artemis walked over to the side of the training platform to grab her water bottle.

"So, what did you want to ask me?" Wally called over to her.

She gulped at the water, trying to think of a way to say this. "You know how you told those girls that you were my boyfriend, whether you meant it or not?"

"Yah."

"Er, they took it literally."

"That's the point, blondie. You should be thanking me. I upped your social status by a bajillion points."

Artemis mentally facepalmed herself. "Homecoming is tomorrow, Kid Idiot."  
>"So?"<p>

"So they asked me if I was going, I said no, they said good, that made me mad."

Wally looked confused.

"When I got mad, I changed my mind and said I would be there." There was no sign he understood what she was saying. He looked like a cocker spaniel. It was kind of cute in a stupid way. She sighed dramatically. "Homecoming... dance? You go with a date?" It was like watching the sun rise on Wally's face. "I told her I'd bring my boyfriend."

That statement did it. At first, he looked shocked, then revolted, and finally, he just ended up looking like normal Wally. "What are you trying to say?"

Wow. He was actually going to make her ask him. "You're really making me do this, Wally?"

The speedster grinned cheekily.

"Fine. Will you, Wally West, go to the Gotham Academy Homecoming Dance with me?" Of course, this was all played up with theatrics. A few embellished hand motions, a flourished bow, the works.

"Will you?" she asked again.

Wally stared hard at her before speaking. "No. I won't go with you."

Her jaw dropped. She'd done everything. Embarrassed and put herself completely out there to someone she saw almost everyday.

"Artemis, I won't go with you."  
>"Yah, I got that."<p>

"I'm not finished. Artemis Crock, would you do me the honor of being my date to the Gotham Academy Homecoming Dance?"

A grin grew on her face braking the normally stern expression.

"What do you think?"

**A/N: I do appear to be writing more dialogue than anything else. One of these days I'll get around to writing an actual mission. Again, please review! I got way several more than I originally asked for last time, so I would like a minimum of 10 reviews for this update! I know it was short, but seriously, you can write anything you want. YOU CAN BE ANON! Just don't be mean. And also, I need your suggestions for my plot lines! Review or PM me with ideas! (I'm begging you.) **

**review!**


	8. Homecoming Part 3

**Hello again everyone! I'm just... blown away. I really am. 43 reviews? That's... AMAZING! You guys have no idea how good that makes me feel! So... I've decided to extend Homecoming once again. There will be a part 4. I thought that there was way too much to talk about with the prep before hand, so yah... I guess you'll have to deal with my whimsical decision making. Also, after I'm finished with Homecoming, could you all pretty please suggest different plot lines to me? I'm suffering from writer's block. **

**Quick shoutout to shojobaby- I don't like cussing, so you'll never find a foul word in my stories! I promise that you're safe!**

**So here is the next installment of Homecoming! I hope you enjoy and R&R pretty please!**

**Disclaimer: Must I really post this?**

**Mount Justice**

**6:30 pm~ Artemis' Room**

Artemis glared at the reflection in the mirror. It was mocking her. There was always something. A strand of hair would fall, makeup would run, her nails would get chipped. She didn't know how much more of primping herself she could take.

An entire ringlet of hair fell from the top of her hair to her cheek.

She snapped.

"M'GANN!"

The green girl flew into the room. And I do mean flew. "What? What is it?" she asked in a panic. But as she caught sight of Artemis, her feeling went from concern to awe. "Oh Artemis! You look incredible!" she beamed.

"What are you talking about? My makeup is smeared, the nail polish on my right hand keeps coming off, and my hair WON'T STAY UP! Help me!"

M'Gann tutted and tapped her chin, knowingly. "I know exactly what to do!" she exclaimed. She walked towards Artemis (yes, now on the ground) and stared at her hair for a moment. Suddenly, Artemis could feel the fallen strands being moved telepathically back up to where she had them. M'Gann immediately pinned them into place and hair-sprayed the entire 'do. The she spun the spinning office chair to face her where, armed with makeup remover and a mascara wand, she began to work on her face.

About ten minutes later, she stepped back to admire her handiwork and handed Artemis a mirror.

Artemis gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" M'Gann asked, suddenly panicking again. "Did I do something?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, Megan... Its... beautiful. I've never felt pretty before. I've always made myself tough, more masculine than anything." She looked up at the girl beaming down again at her. That Martian could light an entire building with her smile.

"Well Artemis, I'm glad you like it! Now... what dress are you wearing?"

Artemis held up one of her old dresses. M'Gann clucked again. "No, that won't due. Come on, I have a green dress that will accent your eyes."

**Mount Justice**

**7:00 pm~ Wally on the Couch**

Robin poked his head into the living room. "Er, Wall-Man?" he asked, tentatively. The speedster was rather intent on his video game at the moment. "Don't you have to get ready for homecoming?" he asked, trying to break Wally's focus again.

"No, I've got, like, five more minutes," his friend said, waving him away. Robin shrugged and left the room.

Five minutes later, Robin walked back in, this time flanked by Kaldur and Conner. "Okay Wally, time for you to get off your butt and walk upstairs where your suit is." Wally shot upright.

"S-Suit?" he stuttered.

"Yes. You're going to a _dance_," Robin emphasized.

Kid Flash jumped up and tried to bolt off, but Conner stepped in front of the doorway. Not wanting to run into the clone of the Man of Steel, Wally skidded to a halt. Tonight was not a good night to break his nose. Immediately, Robin back-flipped and landed behind him, where he grabbed one arm. Kaldur calmly took the other.

"Guys, please don't make me do this." Wally's whimpering was almost pathetic. Actually, it WAS pathetic.

"We are not making you do anything. You chose this yourself." Kaldur calmly responded before dragging the ginger up the stairs and towards his room.

Once inside, Wally looked at the suit staring at him from the bed. Kal and Conner left, leaving just Robin to supervise.

"Seriously Wally, you're acting like a girl."

Wally approached the green tie cautiously.

"Just stick it on. It won't bite you."

Slowly, carefully, Wally picked up the clothes. Robin walked out of the room to give him privacy. At least he got that much.

Wally thought about running.

"Don't even think about it!" Robin called, voice muffled from the closed door. How did the kid do it? Was he, Wally, really that predictable?

"Yes you are!" Robin called again.

"I am what?"

"Predictable!"

The little bird was psychic. Wally could swear to that.

"No, Wally. I'm not psychic." Really?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity to Kid Flash, Robin knocked. "KF, are you dressed?" He murmured a yes, a bit occupied with staring at himself in the mirror. "You look..." Robin trailed, looking for the right word.

"Stupid?" Wally offered.

"Actually, I was going to suggest 'spiffy.' And don't bother with your hair, I think Artemis likes the ruffled look."

Wally's face brightened. "You think so?"

"Well, sure. Oh, and you totally like her."

"I do not," Wally protested.

"Don't lie to me, man. I'm your best friend. And you're really predictable, remember?"

Wally sighed. "I promise you, I don't like her. Okay?"

Robin smirked. "I don't believe you." However, he dropped the subject.

**Mount Justice**

**7:20 pm~ Wally meets Artemis (and gets his mind blown.)**

Robin led Wally out of his room throwing out girl advice. "The key is to just be whelmed. Not over, not under, just plain old whelmed. Got it?" Wally nodded just to appease him. On the inside, it felt like one hundred hungry caterpillars were eating the lining in his stomach. Okay, maybe not _that _gruesome, but somewhere along those lines. He could vaguely hear Robin in the background telling him something about being 'whelmed.'

M'Gann fixed the last crease on Artemis' borrowed dress. It was an emerald green very similar to the color of her costume. "Perfect!" she exclaimed. She looked into Artemis' eyes. "Anyone would fall madly in love with you at the pure sight."

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Megan, but I honestly doubt that."

M'Gann spun the girl to face the full length mirror than stood in the corner of the Martian's room. "Check again!" she said, excitedly. A small smile creeped onto Artemis' features. Maybe, just for the night, she really could be beautiful. She felt a tug on her hand. "C'mon. We've got to get you downstairs!" Artemis looked around for a clock. 7:20. They had approximately an hour before the dance started. It would take about an hour to fly into the surrounding area of Gotham, than take a car to the school. Turning, Artemis headed firmly for the door. She hoped with all of her heart that tonight wouldn't be too awkward.

Wally sat, a bit disgruntled, on the couch. Kaldur had taken away the video games and Conner was standing as if he were the guard of some museum that housed a giant diamond or whatever. Robin was sitting next to him, keeping a watchful eye out for whenever Artemis walked in.

"_Okay boys, Artemis is walking in right now."_ Geez, he wasn't expecting M'Gann to tell him when. He stood up, nervous.

"Chill, bro," Robin said, still sitting on the couch.

But there was no chilling. What had he gotten himself into? Asking Artemis to HOMECOMING? He mentally kicked himself. Until, that is, she walked into the room. His jaw dropped. Artemis was, well, stunning. "H-hey..." he stammered. She smiled.

"You're jaw and skull are a bit far apart, Baywatch." At least he knew it was the same Arty. But really, she hadn't said it meanly. Actually, she sounded about as suprised as he looked.

M'Gann clapped her hands together. "Shall we go, then?" she asked. Wally proffered Artemis his arm, and she took it.

This was going to be some night.

**A/N: Well? Did you like it? I hope you did. I really do. Review please! I refuse to update unless I get 15 reviews! :D Is that manageable? I hope so! There is no excuse for no reviewing! I accept anons, constructive criticisms, EVERYTHING! **

**Until next time!**

**~Val**


	9. Homecoming Part 4

**So... Here's part 4! It took me a WEEK to write this because life kept getting in the way and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the Brittni confrontation and whatnot. I hope you enjoy it! If you'd like to apply as an anon/critic/reviewer, click the review button at the bottom of the page!**

**Gotham Academy**

**8:30 pm~ Outside Homecoming**

Wally and Artemis stopped outside of the wrought iron gate that was positioned in front of the Student Center. Couples passed by them on the path leading towards the magnificent oak doors in front of them. Wally took a deep breath. "Are you ready for this?" he asked Artemis. She looked a bit nervous, if you asked him. But then again, no one ever did.

"I'm ready." Her voice was a bit shaky too. "We're here to prove those..." She took a breath. "...Those _witches_ that I am completely capable of being normal even though I'm on scholarship. Now, let's go inside before I lose it and change my mind." She smiled weakly up at him.

Honestly, he felt bad for her. "If at any time you want to leave... Just let me know and we'll get out of here."

Artemis nodded. She looked as if she were steeling herself to face imminent death in a mission. That thought was only reinforced in Wally's mind when she grabbed his arm in a death grip.

Slowly, gracefully, the pair walked up the path towards the loud party music. At the entrance, two burly guards where standing taking tickets. Now, Artemis knew some pretty high profile kids went to school here, including, but not limited to the Commissioner's daughter, Bruce Wayne's son, a duchess, the Prime Minister of England's son, a few princesses, and multiple sons of high profile government officials, but it hadn't quite hit her until she saw exactly how much security detail was at the dance. FBI, MI6, and Gotham police were stationed everywhere. She took another deep breath. She had to be careful. She had no idea what Brittni's connections were. In fact, it would be just her luck if that girl was involved with the mob or something.

They were next in line. "What have I gotten myself into..." Artemis mumbled. Wally overheard her.

"Look Arty, everything will be fine. I promise."

Artemis doubted that. Every male figure in her life had lied to her. Her father, especially.

"Don't you trust me?" Wally asked, worried. "We're teammates. You can always trust me. Even when we don't get along and we're fighting, I've always got your back and I know you always have mine."

That had to be the deepest thing Artemis had ever heard Kid Idiot say and in her heart, way deep down there, she knew he was right. That was a first.

They walked up to the door where the guards looked down on them. "Tickets?" the one on the right asked, gruffly. Wally held out the two black slips of paper with the gold embossed lettering. The burly man scanned them to match fingerprints and allowed them inside.

"That was nerve-wracking. Is every day at school like this?"

Artemis nodded curtly.

When they walked in, the hottest new (and unreleased) song was playing. Some rich kid's daddy was a rapper it appeared.

_Just__show__Brittni__that__I__came...__and__we__can__get__out._ Artemis thought to herself.

But try as hard as she might, she couldn't find Brittni. Not in the first five minutes at least.

"So... wanna dance?" Wally asked, looking a bit bored.

"Er, sure."

They headed into the middle of the group of people, where its so tight you can't help but feel like you're suffocating, and began to fist pump. That is, after all, what you do at these dances, right?

The song ended and the DJ spoke into the mic. "And that was the new hit song by..." The rest of his sentence was lost in the noise.

A slow song came up next, it was older, but it was good.

"My heart will go on..." Wally muttered.

"What?"

"Oh, that's the name of the song. From the movie Titanic."

Artemis was shocked. "_You__'__ve_seen the Titanic?" she asked, incredulous.

Wally stared straight ahead, towards the direction of the DJ. "Yup." Suddenly, Artemis noticed something. She gasped. Dick and Barbara were... slow dancing?

Wally felt her push away from him, but he didn't stop her. How could he? Why would he? He sighed. Tonight, if all went well, he had to ask her a question. A very important one. But right now, she seemed preoccupied, talking to her friends.

Wally headed off to the refreshments room. Artemis clearly had some stuff she needed to talk about with her friends. Alone in the dimly lit room, he sifted through the sodas and candy.

"Such the variety... How ever could you choose _that_ candy bar?" a feminine voice cooed. Brittni. "I see little Arty brought her boyfriend."

Wally spun to face her. Just as he opened his mouth to say exactly what he thought of Brittni, however, she stuck her finger up to his mouth to silence him. Slowly, her finger traced a line down his chin, neck, and finally, his shirt where she curled it slightly, making her finger get stuck between the buttons. "How could someone like you end up with someone like her when you could be with someone like me?" she whispered softly. "How could such a handsome boy like you fall so hard for such a… thing like Artemis?"

Wally's face grew hot. He picked her finger off of his shirt as if she were something that had died and rotted, leaving a stain on the pristine white.

"First of all, I wouldn't dream of being with someone as inferior as you in my entire life. No, I could never be attracted to dyed hair that has been fried so many times by the chemicals they use to color it blonde. I could never attempt to be attracted to someone who hides themselves behind a façade of thick foundation and eyeliner just because they're trying to be popular. Artemis, unlike you, is real. She's nice, tough, and the only girl I know who could whip my butt in a fight, so I'd thank you kindly to _get__off_ of me, leave this dance, and go find a nice hole to curl up and hide in."

Brittni's face went from a look of complete shock to a malicious sneer.

"Have it your way then… Don't be expecting your girlfriend to have a fun time here though." She winked and sauntered out of the room.

Wally ran back out onto the dance floor in search of Artemis. He found her where he'd left her. "Hey, I saw Brittni. We can leave now." Just then, another slow song came on.

"I love this song…" Artemis said, dreamily.

Wally took a deep breath. "Artemis, would you like to dance with me?"

A look of shock registered on her face. It wasn't the same as Brittni's look, though. This one was more… pleasantly surprised.

"Uh, sure…" she mumbled.

Guiding her to a less crowded space on the dance floor, they slowly began to dance. He held her close, her arms around his neck, his around her waist.

"Wally, thanks for coming to the dance with me."

"I think I'm the one who's supposed to thank you, Arty." She flicked the back of his neck lightly.

"Don't call me that."

"Right, whatever." He smiled and looked off to the side, contemplating on whether he should ask her.

The dance ended and the lights came back on. "Well, that was fun," Artemis said, absentmindedly.

"Yah, it was…" Wally trailed. They walked out of the building and into the fancy grounds.

"Arty?" he asked, turning towards her.

She rolled her eyes. "I really hate being called that, you know."

"I know. Listen, I was wondering, would you like to, you know, get dinner sometime?"

Her grayish-green eyes found his emerald ones and she swiftly stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"I take that as a yes?" he asked.

"That's a yes."

**Ah fluff. I love writing it, I've realized. Let me know if I nailed or failed this chapter! There were at least 10 different ways to write it, so if you'd like an alternate ending/rewrite of this chapter, let me know! **

**AND GUESS WHAT! I'm officially out of story ideas. That's where you come in... LET'S MAKE THIS A CONTEST! :D Whoever sends in the first story idea, wins. I'll write it and so on and so forth. Please don't make me beg you for ideas! If you want me to stay away from the cheesy stuff, SPARE YOURSELF and review! :D So, I'll update next if I can get a minimum of 15 reviews. Is that ridiculously hard and can't be done? I hope not...**

**Review please! :3**

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**Here!**

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	10. Thoughts by Wally

***Looks up sheepishly* So technically, this wasn't the first idea sent in. Nor was it the second. When I made that promise, I hadn't seen the new episode yet, so here's my take on Failsafe. Yay for updates! Er, I'm just gonna say that only *SPOILER* Artemis died in the episode, versus everyone else. And I'm also just gonna stick with that it was real life and not a dream. Yah... let's go with that.**

**In other notice, I have 87 reviews! 87 REVIEWS! I can hardly believe it! I started writing on fanfic about a year ago, and the most reviews I ever got was about... 5. Maybe 8. REVIEWS MAKE ME WANNA UPDATE! ^.^ So thank you to all of my lovely readers!**

**Finally, after I just made you read such a long A/N, I have a quick promotion/thank you. For the idea to write about Failsafe: Thank you IceWitch19!**

**For the song/inspiration: Thank you to Camrynn (go read her stuff if you like Harry Potter!)**

**And for giving Camrynn the inspiration to use the song: Thank you PenguinnFanatic!**

**Alright, I promise I'm done. Just, with the song, pretend that it says "Artemis" instead of "Lucy" and we'll be golden! :D R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my essay-like author's notes. I especially don't own the song.**

**Song: Lucy**

**By: Skillet**

**www. youtube. com / watch?v=d7sjrjiOYYQ (remove spaces)**

A flash of light.

That's all it took.

A small, crystalline drop trailed down his face. He felt M'Gann slip her small, green hand into his broader one. Roy was there, even though he'd felt replaced by her. His hand rested heavily on Wally's shoulder. Robin, he was there, looking stoic per usual next to Kaldur, who was trying to be strong. Superboy looked like he wanted to punch something.

Rain whipped the small group and Kaldur cleared his throat. "Friends, we are gathered here today in memory of our friend, our teammate, and our sister. Artemis Crock was loved by all of us for her strength, her endurance, but most of all, her willingness to serve. She held justice and honor in the highest place of her life. Though her life was short," his voice broke slightly, "she will always be remembered as the hero she worked hard to be."

They hadn't even been able to bury her. She was completely gone... As if someone had tried to completely erase her from the Earth. All they'd found was an arrow that she'd dropped before her sacrifice. It had fallen out of her quiver and now lay in a thin box laying just beneath the dirt before them.

_They'd gone back to the Arctic Circle to look. He'd insisted. "Wally, why? It's hard on all of us. Just going back will make us hurt more." _

_Kaldur had been adamant until Robin spoke up. "Kal, this'll give him closure. People grieve in different ways." The small boy had sounded distant, as if remembering something in his past._

_When they'd arrived, he'd looked everywhere. He'd sped across the entire icy waste land. Everything looked the same... there was nothing. Nothing at all. "ARTEMIS!" he'd cried, hoping, pleading to hear her snarky voice reply from somewhere behind him. Then, finally, something green and silver glinted in the snow. It had to be a trick of light, but Wally was desperate. Digging through the thin layer of snow to the ice that lay just beneath it, he found her arrow. "Souvenir..." he said to himself, out of habit. Fresh tears rolled down his face and froze at the tip of his nose while he sat there, rocking and staring at the only object left in the world that would remind him of Artemis._

They'd managed to buy a grave plot. With so many dead, it had been crazy trying to get a nice enough place in Gotham. One by one, everyone turned to leave. M'Gann dropped Wally's hand and Conner put his arm over her before they walked away. Roy and Kal walked in the opposite direction, Kal probably going back to Atlantis to visit Tula and Garth and Roy would be headed back to, well, wherever Roy goes.

Finally, it was just Robin and Wally. Robin spoke first. "Look, man. I know how much you actually liked her, and even though this goes against everything I've been trained to do, it's time to be distraught, heavy on the dis."

Wally looked up, eyes shining from the salty water trying to spill over his eye-lids. "No, I didn't like her, Rob." Robin stared evenly back at his best friend. "I... loved her. And she never knew." The younger boy nodded once. Knowing him, he'd probably known all along. Robin walked past the grave, patted Wally on the back, and trudged off into the distance.

Rain beating hard on his head, Wally unbuttoned his coat to pull out half of a dozen slightly smushed red roses. Kneeling down on one knee, he placed them gently in front of the tombstone.

The fresh dirt taunted him. It was quickly turning into sludge, due to the torrents that fell from the sky. Wally stared hard at the small, granite slab.

_Artemis Crock_

_1996-2011_

_She did more than exist, she lived._

_She did more than listen, she_

_understood. Rest peacefully, Arty._

"Hey. I'm not really good with words, you knew that," he began, chuckling weakly. "M'Gann picked out the epitaph. She said it was 'you' or something." He paused, trying to think of what to say. "Arty, I never really got to tell you how I really felt, we were always to busy fighting, but to tell you the truth, I thought it was kind of cute when you called me Baywatch. All of those times you whooped my butt during training, and I told you it was because I could never hit a girl, you knew you'd actually beaten me. And you were right. You have... _had_... talent. We'll miss you, Artemis." He sighed, now speaking more to himself. "I'll miss you, Artemis."

Another tear fell from his eyes, than suddenly, they were all coming out, and he was sobbing as hard as it was raining. "Oh my gosh, Artemis, there was so much I never got to tell you. Like the fact that you're funny, nice, but tough. You could take anything and come back stronger. I admired that about you. This coming Friday, I was planning on taking you on a date. I was going to ask you right after we'd escaped from near death. I guess that's just my sick, twisted humour at work since, you know, you never escaped death, you faced it to save the rest of our lives."

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is that... you're the only girl that has ever meant anything to me. "And...

"And...

"I love you."

**A/N: I know, I know. It was short. I'm terribly sorry for that... Quick thing, since you've already read my super long first note, if you'd be so kind to review, I'd greatly appreciate it. I need everything... encouragement, critical analysis, ideas, AND ANONS! Anons are greatly, greatly appreciated! Oh, and if any of you want a specific update day, let me know!**

**I love you all!**

**3,**

**Val**

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**Review before I eat you!**

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	11. Insecurities

**Okay, I wish I could write this topic a bit better, but basically, it stems from me thinking about my own insecurities. Personally, I don't struggle with thinking I'm fat... nah, mine are different, but I always figured that if any of the YJ members thought bad about themselves, it would be Artemis, right? So... I hope you enjoy/tear up a bit. Maybe you'll relate, maybe you won't. It's just a drabble on my part. I wanted to portray sad Artemis and compassionate Wally. **

**And thank you to AmyElise16 who I feel like I should thank. **

**And Ravenhearst.**

**And filipinochick.**

**And justintheconstantreviewer who helped me fix the choppiness of last update!**

**I love every single one of my readers! (If you'd like a shoutout, let me know! ;))**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own. Believe me, I've checked.**

"_No one likes you, scholarship kid. You're not pretty, you're not skinny, and you'll never, ever fit in here. Mirrors never lie. You must not be looking hard enough into your own."_

_She'd run away, too terrified to look back, too terrified to look ahead. _

Mirrors never lie. And for once, it looked liked Brittni might be right. Artemis picked at the red and inflamed bump that sat on her nose, taunting her. She'd run a hot shower to fill the bathroom with steam. From what she heard, that helped you lose weight... even if only for a short time period.

A tear trickled down her face, trailing through the sweat that already soaked through her pores. Artemis was sitting, clutching her knees, as if to push all of the evil of the world away from her.

"Maybe they're right... Maybe I _am_ worthless."

A buzz came from the counter top. She'd accidentally left her phone in her school blazer, which now lay in a limp heap on the fake marble. Slowly, she stood and walked over.

A text... from Wally.

_Where are you? Training tonight..._

Crap. Through the jumbled mess of her brain, she'd forgotten all about that. But it was too late now to get all the way to Happy Harbor. She quickly texted back,

_Sorry, I forgot. Not coming._

Slowly, she went back to her corner where she huddled back up against the wall.

Black Canary was facing the five teens. "Where's Artemis?" she asked, grumpily. Canary hated anyone being late.

Everyone had shrugged.

"I'll text her..." Wally sighed, pulling out his phone. He only had her number so he could spam her on occasion.

A few moments later, he got his reply. "Hmm... that's odd."

Robin cocked an eyebrow. "What's odd, KF?"

"Er, she's not... coming?"

M'Gann looked over in shock. "Artemis never misses training! She's even here when NO ONE ELSE IS."

Kaldur nodded. "M'Gann is right. Artemis must be faced with an emergency."

All five teens looked expectantly at their 'den mother.' Canary sighed. "If Artemis isn't here, she has good reason. We need to respect that. Now, Kaldur, you and Robin take the floor..." She stepped back as youngest and oldest boy stepped forward to spar.

Wally spent all of training thinking. What could have stopped Artemis from coming? Why did he care so much? No, he most certainly did NOT have feelings, but still... He resolved to go 'pop' into Gotham after training. Maybe he could find something he could use against her later... Except... Black Canary said not to bother Artemis.

Several hours later, Wally overcame Black Canary's orders. As soon as training was over, he took off for Gotham City.

In a few minutes, he arrived at the apartment building that he knew belonged to Artemis.

Carefully, he _walked_ up the stairs and knocked on her door. It was opened by Ms. Crock.

"Uh, hi Artemis' mom!" he said brightly. "Is Arty around?"

"Oh, hello Wally! I think she's in her room. Would you like to come in?" The middle aged woman reached up to unlatch the door and opened it wider so he could slip through.

"Thanks, Ms. Crock. Do you mind if I go check on her? She wasn't at training today."

The woman nodded, and rolled back to the table where she was eating a bowl of soup and reading the paper.

Wally found his way through the halls easily. "Arty?" he asked, softly, when he came to her door. There was no answer. He opened it quietly to find the room dark and empty. "Artemis?"

A faint light came from a door to the right. Steam was seeping through the cracks. "Artemis!" he cried, knocking on the door.

It had been hours. Her skin had turned pruny and began to look old. "Artemis!" a cry startled her from her daydream.

Wally. He must be here to rub something in her face. Looking around the darkened room, she found her discarded bathrobe in a pile where she had left it two nights before. Carefully, she opened the door to stare into the face of her teammate.

"What?" she asked, trying to sound snarky, but it came out as a crack.

"I came to check... Have you been crying?" the boy asked in shock.

"No, why?"

"Your eyes are all puffy and red."

There really was no escaping the fact that she'd been crying on and off all evening.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No... Look, let me get dressed, okay? Could you maybe, get out of my room?" For once, Wally didn't argue. He simply turned and walked out of her bedroom.

Throwing on some old clothes, she called to him to let him back in.

"Artemis, what's up?"

"Nothing, just stupid girls from my school. Hey Wally?"

"Yah?"

"I'm not fat, right?"

His emerald eyes grew large.

"No! How could you even think that?"

"What about pretty? Am I pretty?"

Why was she having this conversation with him? Wally's discomfort was obvious. He rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Gee, Arty..."

"I'm not, am I?"

He sighed, and sat down on the edge of her bed. It sank from his weight. "You never let me finish. Artemis, I think you're the most beautiful girl I've met in the whole world. You also happen to be the only girl my age who can kick my butt or can make a comeback as fast as I can. I admire you, and lately, I've been more and more intrigued by you."

Artemis looked up at him, his face full of sincerity. Her hair was lying flat against her back, tangled in several places, and sweat dripping from every pore of her body, but Wally was staring at her with a look that didn't say 'ew.' If she was reading it correctly, it was more of a look of longing than anything else.

"Thanks Wally..." she sighed.

He stood up and came around to where she was sitting. "No problem, Arty." She smiled weakly. Reaching down, he cupped his hands under her chin and tilted her face up so her eyes were staring into his.

And very, so very slowly, he leaned down...

and he kissed her.

"Artemis? I've never, in my life, hated you."

"You know, Wally? I feel the same way."

**Okay, someone asked for a kiss, so there it was! I know, this update was a tad bit depressing. Sorry bout that. Kudos to whoever can guess the mean person was in the beginning! (hint: she's my only oc.) Please review, it means the world!**

**~Val**


	12. All's Fair in Love and War Part 1

**Hello friends! It's been a few days since my last update... so here's the latest one. It'll be a two-shot, but IT'S SO HARD TO WRITE! I had a plot, but then it expanded because I wanted more action. Basically, it is a spin-off of several suggestions. I hope you like it, and if you do, REVIEW! :D ANONS ACCEPTED! **

**Now, there are a few anons I'd like to personally thank:**

**The Anonymous Anon who anons: Your review made me laugh. No joke. **

**LadyMysteri: You've been reading this since the beginning, and I'm so grateful to you!**

**IreneB: Same as LadyMysteri! Both of you, as anons, have really stuck this series out!**

**And about me being canabalistic... Don't worry guys... My therapist says its a phase! XD (Just kidding. Just kidding. I'm definitely NOT a cannibal!) **

**Disclaimer: SERIOUSLY? I don't bother with this.**

It hadn't been anything special, really. It was just dinner. They'd eaten in Gotham at a small, surprisingly well-kept café. She'd had soup and salad, and he'd had... Now that Artemis thought about it, she couldn't remember _what_ he'd had, he'd eaten so much! But... It was just dinner. She sat in the bio-ship, head propped up by a hand, elbow resting on the arm-rest.

They were currently flying over...

"Hey Robin, where are we?" she asked.

"The Atlantic Ocean."

Apparently they were flying over the Atlantic Ocean, then. Artemis didn't really care... She was a bit wrapped up with staring at the ginger hair right in front of her, thinking about that dinner.

"_You never told me the details about homecoming... or the date you've OBVIOUSLY been on." _M'Gann's voice screeched all of Artemis' pleasant thoughts to a halt. How much had she heard?

"_Relax, Arty. I didn't hear or see anything except a slight glimpse of a memory you've filed as 'date.'"_

"_I don't 'file' my thoughts, M'Gann."_

"_That's why I file them for you!" _Artemis could feel the Martian grinning broadly behind her.

"_The dance was fine. Wally took care of Brittni, we went to dinner, and that was it."_

"_So tell me about the dinner!"_

"_No. I refuse."_

Now Artemis could feel a disappointed glare burning a hole in the back of her head, but M'Gann dropped the subject and quit talking to her. She just hoped that the other girl wouldn't 'accidentally' glance at any of her _personal_ thoughts.

Artemis was left to her memories, which, for the first time in a long time, were filled with happy things.

-

The ship began to descend several hours later when Artemis was jolted out of the daydream she'd been living in.

"We're already there?" she asked, to no one in particular.

"Where have you been?" Wally asked, spinning his chair to face her. "We've been flying for hours! But then again... my patience is very thin."

"Did you just insult yourself?" Artemis asked again, in disbelief.

"No, I was just stating a fact." He faced the front again. Ever since that night, Wally had been... different. It wasn't just in his actions, his whole personality had changed. He'd gotten nicer, less rude, and he'd even quite eating all of the cookies in the fridge which was completely 100% out of character for him.

Kaldur stood up in the front of the ship to face them. "Alright, friends. We were sent here on a _covert_ mission, so let us keep it that way."

Robin snorted. "Fat chance..." he muttered.

The team walked out of M'Gann's ship.

Once outside, the Martian turned to face Artemis. "I refuse to successfully complete this mission unless you or Wally tell us exactly what happened during and after your homecoming."

Conner stared at her, trying to comprehend why she was being difficult. "M'Gann... why do you want to know?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Because Conner... Wally and Artemis are supposed to HATE each other, but now they're going to homecoming?" She faced the two other teammates who's faces were both about as red as Wally's hair. "Okay, so, are you two a couple or not?"

First Wally acts out of character, now M'Gann?

"Nothing happened, M'Gann," Wally quickly spoke up.

"Aw, come on Wall-man. You've been acting differently lately. What's going on?" Robin asked, teasingly.

"Nothing!" Wally said, stubbornly.

Artemis sighed. "Fine. We went to dinner. That's it. No, we aren't dating."

M'Gann looked disappointed. "That's really not enough information..." But she dropped the subject (again) and flew off to follow Kal and Conner.

"So... you just told her that to leave you both alone, right?" Robin asked, mischevious.

"No, we're seriously not dating!" Wally snapped. Robin shrugged and walked off into the jungle.

"How on earth would they ever get that...?" Wally wondered. Artemis punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"No idea, Baywatch. C'mon, let's get going."

-

Okay, covert failed. But then again, they're a group of teenagers. Do you expect them to be amazing at keeping quite? However, there were more important matters at hand.

Wally had, er, _tripped_ over a trick wire, and now they were being attacked by robotic birds.

Actually, M'Gann and Artemis were kind of sort of almost being 'eaten' by aquatic dinosaur-like robots.

"I refuse to drown in this mission!" The archer screeched, flailing her arms and managing to connect the part of the neck where the 'dinosaur's' neck snapped off of it's body. M'Gann was attempting to mentally detach the different parts of whatever was attacking her, but it appeared that they had some sort of mind blocker.

Robin was swinging away from one metallic eagle as Kid Flash ran in a circle around another bird with a dangerously hooked beak. Both of them exploded from data overload while trying to track both teens.

Conner was doing what he did best: breaking things. And Kal was hitting each bird with a wave of water.

But the creatures kept coming. No matter what they did, they couldn't stop the advances of the creatures.

-

Artemis opened her eyes blearily. A splitting headache spread over her entire skull. The pounding felt like the old Gotham North percussionists... out of rhythm.

Looking around, she checked her surroundings. It was dark, and judging by the stifling air, there wasn't much room. Behind her, if she just reached back a little, there was a wall. So she must be in some kind of room...

A noise coming from her left startled her. "H-hello?" she whispered.

Something rustled. "Ugh... where am I?" Immediately, she recognized the groggy voice of a just woken up speedster.

"KF!" she hissed.

"Artemis?"

"We're in some kind of room. Maybe a closet." She heard a thunk as Wally felt the walls around him.

"Yup. Definitely a closet."

Artemis felt up to where her communicator usually sat in her ear, but nothing was there.

"Communicator's gone. Is yours?" When he didn't reply, she called out to him. "You're not dead, right?"

"No," he grunted. "I'm trying to vibrate my molecules through a wall. It's not working."

"So what should we do?"

"All we _can _do. We wait."

"I never thought I'd live to hear you say those words."

-

After what felt like hours later, a tapping came from behind her, from the walls. In fact, it was Morse code. Not only was it code, it was Robin's 'special' knock. Mostly, it was a mix between 'Help' and 'I'm better than you.'

"Robin!" Artemis hissed. "Can you hear us?" She heard movement.

"Artemis!" the boy's voice echoed distantly. "Are you okay?"

"Yah, bit of a headache, but I'm better of than KF is. He's in here with me too. He's fallen asleep, but from what I gather, he has a concussion, maybe some broken limbs."

"Okay, I'm going to try to cut a hole in the wall, but there isn't a lot of room over here either." That utility belt was really useful...

After a few moments, a red light shone through the wall and cut a small circle. It was just big enough for Artemis to look through it into the other room.

"Robin!" she cried. A domino masked eye appeared. "What's our plan on getting out?"

The boy stayed silent for a moment. "There are pros and cons to all of our choices. First choice is to try and cut ourselves out with the laser, but we don't know where we're at nor the exact extent of our injuries. Second choice is to wait here and possibly run out of oxygen."

"First choice."

**And I leave you, dear reader, with 4 PAGES OF WORK! Please review, it means the world to me when I get email notifications! This time, when you review, send me suggestions on how to end this! I'm going into WRITER'S BLOCK from the difficulty. And I'm sure this update was stupid. I'm so sorry... Anyways, I accept all types of reviewers: Anons, Critics, and friends. But don't flame me please! And one last note: If you'd like me to update regularly once a week, post the day!**

**Thank you and I love you all!**

**~Val**

**(DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW.)**


	13. All's Fair in Love and War Part 2

**This took way longer than expected to write. I'm terribly sorry for a numerous of reasons:**

**I haven't updated in about a week.**

**I'm not talented in writing missions. I've learned my lesson, this'll be the last of its kind most likely.**

**I had to cut the mission short. I could have put way more action in, but I didn't.**

**Etc.**

**Anyways, I hope you all forgive me. With that being said, here's part two of All's Fair in Love and War! OH, if you'd pop by and give me a review, that'd be awfully nice. And if you'd send me a new idea to write, that'd be the best too!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, we'd have an episode this week.**

First choice it was then. Robin pulled away from the eyehole and looked around his dimly lit containment. There was no telling where the light was actually coming from since there weren't any cracks, doors, or windows in the tiny room, if you could even call it a room. More of a box, come to think of it. A box. That's it.

"Artemis!" he hissed. "We're in _boxes_! They're keeping us in boxes!" He could hear the archer groan from her box.

"Great…"

"But now we have another problem. If this is a box we could be buried alive, in the middle of a vat of nuclear waste, or really anywhere."

Artemis sighed audibly. "Could you maybe tell me where we _aren't_ since we know we could honestly be anywhere?"

"I know we aren't in a vat of nuclear waste previously mentioned nor are we out on some body of water. We aren't rocking."

"Beautiful…" he heard her mutter. "…Wally? Wally? Oh my gosh! Wally!"

"What is it?" Robin asked, concerned. Panic had edged into his voice.

"I can't wake him up! And I think I misjudged his injuries. I can feel blood!"

Blood was never good. "How much blood, Artemis?"

"A lot. I can't tell because I really can't see. Our box doesn't glow like yours, and the little light that we get from the hole isn't enough to see the damage."

Robin opened up one of the pouches in his tool belt. "I have a glow stick. Here, I'll pass it through the hole, okay?" He could hear a soft thunk as the stick fell through and hit the floor. Soon, a green glow could be seen emanating from the other room.

"Okay, um, wow. This is a lot of blood," Artemis murmured. "It looks like there's a cut in his arm, but that one doesn't look too awful. A few scratches… Oh. I think I've found it."

"What? Where is it?"

"He has a nasty gash in his stomach. Oh gosh, I think I might barf. I can't tell how deep it is, but he's losing blood fast. He never mentioned it when he woke up…"

Robin thought for a minute. "Do you have _any_ cloth you can use to try and staunch the flow?" He heard some tearing.

"I've ripped off my cowl, I'll try that." A few moments later, Artemis spoke again. "Hey Robin, why don't you think Wally would have mentioned being hurt in the stomach when he woke up? He's sort of the type to complain."

"Honestly Artemis, he probably can't feel it. I have a feeling that his spine might possibly be broken."

She gasped sharply. "But, that could kill him!"

"Don't touch him. Don't move him. He'll be fine." Robin was trying to give her hope. If Kid Flash's spine really was broken, he didn't have much of a chance. And that's why Robin was hoping his best friend's spine wasn't broken. "I'm going to try and cut us out, alright?" She murmured in agreement and he picked up the laser again to try and cut through one of the walls. Finally, he could tell he wasn't cutting through metal anymore. The only problem was that no light was coming through the hole.

"Any luck?" Artemis called out to him.

"None. Dirt on this side. I'm going to try the other walls, ceiling, and floor."

Hours later, he'd tried all of the walls around him and Artemis was almost done cutting through her own container. All hope was almost lost.

"Robin!" Artemis cried.

"What?"

"I've found M'Gann and Superboy!" Robin smiled. Apparently, all of the containers that housed the young heros were near each other. It turned out that M'Gann's and Conner's was underneath Artemis and Kid Flash's own box.

A few faint mutterings later, Artemis called to Robin again. "I'm passing the laser to Conner. They're going to try and see if Kaldur is near them."

Finally, he could hear a cry of excitement coming from very far away. It must have been Kaldur, because there was no way it had taken this long for Conner to try all of the walls around them.

"Kaldur found an opening!" Artemis informed him. "He and Conner are fine, but M'Gann's still knocked out and Wally's unconscious as well. Neither of them will wake up." There was a twinge of concern in Artemis' voice, but she pushed on. "Kal is making the hole in his box bigger, then he'll get Conner and M'gann out. Conner, in turn, will open the hole for Wally and I, and then I'll make a hole for you. We should be out in no time."

Robin slowly opened his eyes. A blinding light shone above him and a migraine felt like it was splitting his head in half. Experimentally, he turned his head. M'Gann was on one side of him, lying in a comatose state with Conner holding her hand. He probably hadn't left her side since they'd arrived.

On the other side, he could see Wally. Artemis was sitting by him, wringing her hands.

Robin sat up, ignoring the pain in his ribs (he must have broken one on accident) and head. The door to the infirmary opened and Batman strode in followed by Red Arrow and Kaldur.

"Is everyone okay?" Robin asked. Batman shook his head.

"You'll be fine and Conner, Kaldur'ahm, and Artemis weren't injured, but M'Gann is in a coma and has been for two days. Wally… he broke some bones, punctured both lungs, his stomach, and there was a lot of internal bleeding. He's lucky his heart wasn't damaged. Unfortunately, though he has fast healing, his legs healed wrong, and the bleeding was too great to be fixed. When he was brought back here, he went immediately into surgery. Now all that we can do is wait."

A coughing came from the bed where Wally lay. "Batman!" Artemis yelled. "He's waking up! Kaldur! Roy! Come here!" Robin ripped the IVs that were slowly dripping fluids into him and swung his legs out of the bed. As he stumbled over to the bed, he could see Batman checking the vitals, then stalk off to go call Red Tornado or Black Canary. Whichever was available, he guessed.

The speedster's eyes fluttered open. "Artemis?" he gasped.

"Wally! I'm right here!" she cried, tears trickling down her face.

"Hey beautiful. You saved my life…" he trailed off, exhausted.

"Wally, never, ever do that again. You were almost killed!" She said in relief.

"It never is my fault," he reasoned.

There was a pause, and Robin watched as his best friend's eyes locked on the archer's own gray one's.

Just like that the two were kissing. Out in the open, no shame, just kissing. It was kind of sweet, if it weren't so… gross. (Hey, he's thirteen. I remember when I was thirteen, I thought PDA was pretty gross too.)

"Get a room you two!" he said. Roy turned away and Kaldur smiled before walking over to Conner.

But then it hit him. Robin turned to Roy. "I believe you owe me fifty dollars? Twenty-five for them actually kissing, and another twenty-five for it being after a life or death situation."

Red Arrow groaned before leaving to fetch his wallet.

**How'd you like it? I wanted to write from Robin's POV for a change. I think I'd like to write a collection centering around him. I'll probably put a poll up on my profile, if you'd be so kind to go vote in it! **

**Another thing, I believe that today (or yesterday) is Thanksgiving in the States, so I'll wish my American readers a very happy Thanksgiving! If anyone wants me to write a holiday centered fic, let me know the holiday and even if I don't celebrate it, I'll go learn about it and write a fic surrounding it! **

**Review please! I still take anons, so THERE IS NO EXCUSE! **

**3,**

**Val**

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**REVIEW.**


	14. A Typical Morning for the Wests

**So I got this plot bunny. What would it be like if Artemis and Wally were married? Actually, this could turn out into its own full blown fanfiction. I was so excited to write it, that I wrote it all in about 30 minutes. The whole thing was like a movie playing out in my head! I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Please, please review and tell me if I should make this apart of its own separate collection of a married Arty/Wally inspired fics! In fact, it would most likely be a collection of one-shots that all had an overall plot that would wrap itself up in the end. I have the whole thing planned out… Anyways, I figured I should put this in my first fluff collection, see what you all, my beloved readers, think! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: …It was my idea for them to be married, right?**

Artemis sighed contentedly, staring up at the white ceiling. The morning sun crept in through the window, washing everything in a pale light. She looked over to the other side of the bed where a sleeping Wally lay stretched out, snoring, and peaceful. She smiled to herself before stretching her legs and softly padding out of the bedroom.

If someone had told her a few years ago that she'd manage being in the same room, let along the same house as Wally West and be happy about it, she'd have laughed, then maybe punched their lights out. And yet, here she was, living with her husband, the same boy she hated for years. It was kind of cute, actually. And very, very girly romance styled. But she liked her new life.

They'd bought a house at the beginning of the year. It was quant, really. A bit of a fixer-upper, but quant. They'd repainted the entire downstairs… she smiled fondly at the memory. Wally had tripped over an open can of paint, spilling it all over himself and the plastic that adorned the carpeting. She'd wanted to get mad, but it was too funny to even begin to be angry. She'd laughed, he'd laughed, then she walked off to run a bath for him… Just like a good wife.

As a teen, that would have disgusted her. She had planned to never marry, never belong to anyone other than herself. Now, looking back, Artemis had to think that her teenage self wouldn't like what she'd grow up to become.

_Beep!_ The coffee machine chirped, saying that her pot of freshly brewed coffee was ready. She poured herself a cup and sat at the table. She was facing a window that had a great view of the backyard and the sunrise. She sat there for a moment before standing back up to make the breakfast.

Bacon, eggs, and toast. A typical, storybook breakfast in Artemis' opinion, but it tasted good all the same. She was standing at the stove, tending to the bacon, when suddenly, a voice sounded sleepily from the doorway. "Bacon?" Wally slurred. He stumbled into the kitchen where he sat down at the table. Artemis smiled again, she seemed to be doing that a lot lately, and brought him his own mug of coffee.

"How was your sleep?" she asked.

"Fine. And yours?" he replied.

"Fine as well. What's the plan for today?"

"I was planning on meeting Rob for lunch later. Then we have that party for M'Gann's birthday tonight."

Artemis nodded knowingly. M'Gann wasn't letting the couple out of her party.

The bacon now done and the eggs cooking, Artemis finished getting the rest of the food onto two different plates. She shoveled the scrambled yellow mess onto the separate dishes and walked back to the table again. She slid Wally his meal before sitting down to eat her own.

After breakfast, Artemis went to clear the dishes. She and Wally had agreed just after getting married that whoever cooked, cleaned. That was the way it worked. Most of the time the other would help the cleaner anyways, though.

As Artemis scrubbed at a flowered, porcelain dish, she felt Wally begin to rub her back in small circles. "Hey Arty, I was thinking. What made you decide to say yes when I popped the question?" He was, of course, referring to their wedding. "I mean, I was so sure you'd say no. I honestly thought, for a moment, that you were only dating me out of pity."

Artemis sighed. "Wally, you know full well that I loved you when you asked me then, and I love you even more now. I said yes the same reason why you asked me." Wally fell silent, satisfied with her answer. When she finished wiping the wet platter, Artemis turned again to Wally. He looked at her for a moment, his green eyes searching her gray ones. "I love you…" he breathed. She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. Ever so slowly, gently, she raised up on her tip toes and kissed him lightly on the mouth. "And I love you too, Wally West."

**And there it is! My plot bunny! Did you hate it, like it, love it? Did I nail it or fail it? Should I make a separate collection of fics for it? THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS. **

**Anywho, I love you all! AND REVIEW WITH ANSWERS OR I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND MAKE YOU. C'mon guys! It's one button! I'll review your stories if you'll review mine! :3 (Just tell me you want me to review, first.)**

**Xoxo**

**~Val**


	15. Forests and Unexpected Guests

***brushes dust off computer*******

**Why, hello! ~grins sheepishly~ **

**Uh, it's been a while… 3 weeks? More? Oh dear… I'm terribly sorry. Life has just been a big mix of busy for me lately. I do hope you'll forgive me. I offer up 8 pages and 3 days worth of work as my apology! Am I forgiven? No? Then I guess you'll just have to read this update and forgive me at the end! Seriously though, I wish I'd updated sooner.**

**On to the more interesting news. Starting next week I'll begin a countdown to Christmas. I can make it its own series or just include it here, but if I make it separately, you all must PROMISE to go read it. Otherwise I'll feel like a lonely person with no time who likes to write fluffy little stories about cartoon characters.**

**Oh wait. I already am.**

**Except, you know, the lonely bit. 'Cause I have friends and everything… Heh. ~laughs weakly~**

**I hope you enjoy this next installment of ****Have Yourself Your Own Spitfire****! **

**And for the Christmas countdown thing, you people better give me prompts. Seriously. Put it in the review. AND I ACCEPT ANONS. Yes, I know how many people look at this in a day. I also know that I get less than a tenth of that number in reviews. Okay… slightly selfish of me, but look at it this way. I need to know how well I right! Critics, encouragements, ANYTHING (except flames) help!**

**That's a long A/N.**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it. Obviously. **

The tall, dark trees loomed overhead, cutting out the light from the sun. Artemis shouldered her oversized hiking bag more firmly and trekked further into the forest. It was tradition for her to go camping by herself every year in the fall, and just because she'd joined the team didn't exclude this year. The tree leaves had just started to change colors and a crisp wind had begun to cut through the mugginess left over from the summer.

A rustling sounded off to her left and her head snapped to face the noise, but there was nothing. _Probably a squirrel_, she thought.

An hour later she reached the flat clearing where she'd spent the night once a year, every year since her father had left. She dropped her bag onto the ground and looked up at the small view of the sky. The light of the day was still bright, but she could tell it was getting late. Artemis smiled to herself. It was finally time to gather her thoughts and reflect on the past year. She began to unpack.

First came the small tarp that she'd set up to cover her. No need for a tent. After all, there was no one else out here! Then came the cooking utensils; a pot, plate, and aluminum spork and knife. She had brought her bow and arrows, so she'd hunt for food. Finally, at the bottom of the pack, were her clothes and toiletries. She'd brought a pair of pajamas and an outfit for the next day.

She swiftly set up the tarp to create a small awning to sleep under. It wasn't supposed to rain that weekend, so she hadn't bothered to bring a tent.

Once it was set up, she gathered some firewood. Hastily, she mentally went through her checklist of what to do.

Hike: Check

Unpack: Check

Create Shelter: Check

Gather Firewood: Check

Kill Food: That could be done later

Find Fresh Water: Water was located at a spring just out of sight from the clearing.

That just about covered everything. She really wanted to go swimming this year. Ever since finding the spring, she'd meant to, but just never gotten around to it. This year, she had dared herself to do it. The only thing was that she'd forgotten her swimsuit. That couldn't be good. Taking a deep breath, she looked around self-consciously and began to strip. The cool breeze that lazily flowed through the woods brought goose pimples to her skin, but it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, she had a sneaking suspicion she was being watched. Covering herself with her arms, she looked around, but no one was there. She was alone, and very clearly paranoid. She headed off to the spring, looking everywhere to make sure she was still alone.

When she arrived, the water was gurgling. It was fed from a quick mountain stream.

"Woohoo!" she shouted, as she jumped into the deep water. The warmth surprised her. It really wasn't quite as cold as she expected.

She swam in the silent, blissfully peaceful forest when all of a sudden, a thud sounded to her left. She gasped to herself, almost jumping out of her skin with fright. Her next thought was to find cover. She was naked, and she'd like to keep her pride, thank you very much. A large rock was in the deeper part of the spring, and she swam behind it, trying to keep as quiet as possible.

"Pesky bees…" she heard a male voice say. A very familiar male voice, come to think of it. She peeked over the rock. A boy was walking out of the woods, slapping his arms as if trying to kill some kind of bug.

"WALLY!" she screamed. Some birds that were nesting in the trees took off into the air at the noise.

Wally looked up, his freckled face having a look of forced innocence.

"Why, hello Artemis! Fancy seeing you here!" he said nonchalantly.

"Wally West! How long have you been here?" she demanded, upset.

The speedster stayed silent.

"Okay, better question is how much of me have you seen?" she tried.

"Uh, I looked away when you stripped." Everything began clicking.

"You've been following me this entire time, haven't you?" She groaned. "Put your superspeed to use. Go back to my camp, grab my CLOTHES, and bring them back here."

Wally grinned. "Alright, alright princess. Don't get your panties in a wad. Oh wait, you don't have any!" His cackle hung in the air as he ran to and from the camp in less than a second. He dropped the clothes on the ground in a pile.

"Wally, turn _around_. I'm going to get dressed."

The ginger slowly turned around to face the forest.

"And DON'T peek."

"I know," he sighed obnoxiously.

She slowly swam around the rock and crawled out of the spring and grabbed her clothes.

"Artemis, what are you doing out here, anyways?" Wally asked, staring at the trees in front of him.

"I should ask you the same thing," she grunted. He fell silent again.

When she finally pulled her shirt over her shoulders, she tapped him on the arm to let him know he could look again.

Okay, the tap was more like a slap.

Okay, fine. A punch. It was a very hard punch.

Wally grabbed his arm and rubbed it. "I suppose I deserve that," he muttered.

Artemis stalked back to where her camp was. "Go home, Wally."

"I can't."

"And why is that?"

"Uh, maybe because I don't quite have enough food to 'refuel' and make it there in time before dark?"

"You've run in the dark before."

"Yah, but not long distance."

She spun to face him. "Well you're NOT staying with me."

"And where do you propose I stay?" he asked, smirking.

"I don't know, nor do I care. I came out here to be alone, and your company is the farthest thing from alone that I know."

He shrugged and walked up to her. "Too bad. You're stuck with me for the night."

He was absolutely, positively the most infuriating _thing_ she'd ever known. "No, you're not."

"Green Arrow told me I was."

That stopped her in her tracks. "My uncle would _never _suggest such a _stupid_ idea."

She'd reached the point where she'd left her bow and stooped to pick it up. "I have to go get food," she muttered gruffly.

Wally made a face. "When you go camping, you eat _squirrels_?" he asked, incredulously. "That's disgusting."

When she returned, rabbit in hand, she began to make a fire. While she was waiting for it to reach perfect temperature, she skinned and gutted the animal.

"Don't just stand there, Wally. Do _something_." Wally shrugged and continued leaning against the tree.

"I swear, Wally, if you don't help, I'm going to overcook this rabbit."

The ginger straightened and ran off into the woods. When he came back, he had two apples in his hands.

"Where'd you get those?" she asked, suspiciously.

"On the farm at the bottom of the mountain."

"That's stealing."

"I left money on the porch."

"No you didn't."

"You're right. I didn't."

Artemis looked closely at Wally. His skin was pale and sweat slowly dripped down his face. "Wally, just how long have you gone without water?"

He grinned feebly. "Probably a bit too long," he admitted. He leaned against the tree again and slumped to the ground. "I'm just… tired…"

"Wally, don't go to sleep!" she yelled, panic creeping into her voice. Wally turned on his side and began to retch. "You're dehydrated!" she cried. "Extremely dehydrated!"

With his fast metabolism and super speed, Wally had literally run out of the water that made up his body. If he didn't drink anything soon, he could die. ((a/n: I looked up all of the symptoms of dehydration. It's very serious if not treated, in case you were wondering.)) Artemis took off to the spring where she filled up her canteen with the fresh water. There was no time to purify it. This might not even be enough for her teammate. If he was sweating, which he was, he was going to need a sports drink or something. She didn't have a sports drink.

She ran back to the camp to find Wally lying on the ground, eyes closed. "Oh please, please don't be dead," she whispered. She knelt by him and lifted his head to force the canteen into his mouth. He coughed as the water entered his lungs and Artemis swore under her breath. "Don't let me be the one to kill you, Wally!"

His eyes flickered weakly as he began to hack up the small amount of water. When he was done, he grabbed the canteen from her hands and started to chug.

"Uh, Wally, maybe that's not such a good idea…" Artemis began. Wally found out why soon enough, though. As soon as he'd taken the canteen from his lips, he was filled with nausea and promptly threw up.

"I told you so."

"Shutup," he muttered. "I'm hungry."

Artemis sat back on her heels. "Of course you are." But she went back over to the fire where the pieces of rabbit were being cooked and finished roasting them. They were burnt since she'd had to leave them unattended to help Wally, but they tasted fine… once they both got past the taste of wood and smoke.

Night fell, and the two teenagers sat in front of the fire, mesmerized by the flames. Finally, Wally spoke.

"Why'd you save me? I mean, I did sort of follow you."

"If I killed you, Batman would kill me. And so would Robin." Artemis thought for a moment. "I'm more terrified of Robin, I think."

Wally chuckled. "What exactly are you doing out here anyways?"

Artemis wondered if she should tell him the full truth. She decided against it. "My dad used to take me out here. To train, I mean. We'd spend a weekend out in the woods with no one for miles and he'd teach me to stay alive."

Wally cocked his head, interested. "Why don't you do it anymore with him?"

Artemis sighed. "My dad left years ago. I wasn't exactly sad to see him leave, and let's just say we aren't camping buddies anymore."

"Harsh."

"Heh. No, my dad's harsh."

Silence fell again.

"I'm going to sleep," Artemis said, tired after the long day. She walked over to where she'd laid her sleeping bag and got in it. It insulated her from the cold air that came with the nighttime.

Minutes later, she felt Wally lay down on the dirt next to her. He had to be cold.

She had an internal battle.

"_It's Wally!"_

"_How would you feel if you were in the same situation?"_

"_Disgusted?"_

"_No, cold."_

"_He didn't bring a sleeping bag. Not my problem."_

"_He came to make sure you weren't all by yourself… wait, we, I mean, I, don't actually know what he's doing out here."_

"_Exactly."_

"_I still need to be nice."_

"_It's Wally!"_

"_I've made that argument already."_

Finally, her conscience won out over her petty grudges. She sighed inwardly, knowing she'd regret this decision.

"Wally?"

"Mmhmm?"

"We can, dare I say it, _share_ my sleeping bag, if you want."

It was quite for a moment.

"Okay."

That was it? Okay? Actually, it made things really quite simple. Artemis scooted over and allowed the body of incredible heat into the bag. Well, she certainly wasn't going to freeze to death tonight… But she might just have a heat stroke.

Artemis awoke to birds chirping in the trees overhead. She looked around, not knowing where she was. The events of yesterday came flooding back. Wally. Where was he, anyways? She knew he wasn't still next to her, for obvious reasons. She sat up blearily.

"Wally?" she asked, half hoping it had all been a dream.

"Morning princess!" the hyper voice called out.

"Wh-where are you?"

In a flash (no pun intended), he sat next to her, Indian style.

"Next to you!"

Artemis slapped her forehead.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"I made breakfast."

An egg sat on the plate he was holding.

"Where'd you get that?" she asked, cautiously.

"I raided a bird's nest. I remembered what you'd said about survival in the woods thing, so I figured I should try it."

He handed her the plate, and she took it. The egg really wasn't all that bad.

"Um, thanks… Wally." She crawled out of the bag and began to roll it up.

"Are we leaving already?" he asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Erm, yes…" she said, trying to figure out why he'd even ask that. "It takes all day to walk back…" she finished, slowly.

"Not when I run."

"Yes, but I don't have super speed."

"No, you don't. But I do."

It took her a moment to realize what he was suggesting.

"No. Oh no. You are _not_ carrying me."

He shrugged and helped her with the packing.

Once they were finished, Wally shouldered the huge hiking backpack.

"What're you doing?" Artemis asked.

"Repaying you for your help."

Suddenly, there was nothing. She couldn't see anything but blackness. She couldn't hear anything but the roaring of the wind in her ears. She couldn't feel anything except the biting current of air.

And then… they were back in Happy Harbor. A day's hike and drive from her camping spot. Wally dropped her onto the concrete to let her walk back to the cave. She wobbled a little where she stood and found herself gripping his shoulder.

"That was fast," she gasped.

"There's a reason why I'm the fastest boy alive."

They walked into the headquarters of Young Justice. Most of the mentors where there, for reasons unknown except that Batman probably had a mission for them and Black Canary was most likely giving Conner counseling. She was a far better mentor to Conner than Superman ever had been.

Except, the Flash and Green Arrow where standing, arms crossed.

"Where were you?" Oliver asked Artemis.

Flash looked as if he were trying to contain a smile and pretend to be serious. "Yes, Wally, do tell. You've been gone all night… Normally, I wouldn't care, but we didn't know where Artemis was either. And uh, we just wanted to make sure you hadn't been kidnapped."

Artemis' eyebrow arched. "…Kidnapped? Seriously?"

"Hey! It was the best excuse I could think of to fake worry!"

"Wait… you didn't know where Wally was?" The adults shook there heads. "Green Arrow, you know I disappear on occasion… Did you not ask Wally to follow me into the woods?" The archer shook his head.

"WALLY WEST!" she screeched. But all that she found in return was a burst of air.

**If you made it to the bottom, then I thank you for sticking this out and I'll make this a/n short! Don't forget to review and give me prompts for the Christmas updates! **

**That's all. **

**Love always,**

**Val**


	16. Wally West Loses a Bet

**Ladidadida. Hello my friends! So… I never got around to a holiday special. Actually, technically I did, but I'm having trouble typing it all and uploading it. Anyways, I've decided to upload the Spitfiry stories here and the others in my collection of random oneshots. I might combine them later, but for now, GO ONTO MY PROFILE AND READ THEM FROM "The Tower and the Lights" or something like that. I haven't written many stories, so it won't be hard to find.**

**I'm very sorry for taking so long. I've had a lot going on like exams, Christmas, and accidentally getting grounded. The last one is what's kept me away so long. Sorry 'bout that.**

**So, here's to eggnog, fruitcake, and Young Justice!**

He lost the bet. He'd seriously lost the bet. This wasn't supposed to happen.

"C'mon Wally!" Robin chirped.

He groaned. "I'm not going to do it."

They stood facing a department store at a mall in Gotham.

"You _have_ to."

Wally stalked into the store grumpily. At customer service, a very perky young woman stood with an elf hat perched at an angle on her head.

"How may I help you?"

"I'm here to apply for the Santa job."

The girl stared at him, confused.

"It's the day before Christmas and you need a last minute Santa. So… here I am."

A snicker sounded behind him and he whipped around to grab the ear of his friend.

"He's applying to be an elf."

Robin's smirk left his face.

"Arty, are we going to buy Auntie a scarf?" the little girl asked, clinging tightly to Artemis' hand. She smiled down at her cousin, who was visiting from Vietnam.

"Of course we are, June!"

They were walking quickly, ducking around the crowd here for their last presents. Artemis, being the ultimate procrastinator that she was, hadn't even started.

While passing a particularly large group, her cousin asked, "Why're there so many kids standing in line here?"

Artemis stood on tiptoes to see. A costumed Santa Claus was taking pictures and requests from children. He looked oddly young for a Santa.

"Just a Santa Claus," she told her.

"Can I sit on his lap this year?" June asked, hopefully.

Artemis sighed. She couldn't say no.

"Of course…" she began, but she was already being pulled into the throng of people.

What felt like an eternity passed before Artemis and June stood at the front of the line. When an elf shooed off the kid in front of them, Artemis walked determinedly up to the Santa.

That is, until she realized June was no longer behind her.

June was still in line, cowering. "Artemis, I'm scared. I don't want to see Santa anymore."

The Santa exchanged looks with the elf.

"June, I am NOT playing games. I just waited close to an hour for you to see Santa. What will it take for me to get you out of line and on his lap?"

"You have to sit with me."

"Fine!" Artemis cried, huffily.

June walked out of line and up to the large chair where the Santa sat.

"What's your name?" the man, or rather, boy, asked.

"June."

He picked her up and put her on his lap. "June, what would you like for Christmas?"

"I want a… doll!" she grinned proudly.

"Well, I'll see what I can do!" the Santa said, chuckling. He placed June on the ground again.

"Wait!" she cried. "You have to hear what Arty wants too!"

The kid wearing the fake beard looked up at Artemis. She noticed that his green eyes twinkled familiarly. She walked up and gingerly sat down. The elf took a snapshot of the two, and the Santa asked his question.

When it was over, Artemis and June left to go buy their presents.

"You know, that Santa didn't seem very old," June pointed out.

"Yah, he seemed familiar."

Wally was angry. He was hot, sweaty, and smelled like mothballs and strangers. Not the best combination ever.

"Rob, seriously. I hate you, man."

The younger boy grinned. "I thought it was fun! I got your picture with Artemis, as planned. Now let's go wreak some chaos!"

One thing about FacePlace is that nothing is very private. You learn about everyone and everything.

Which is why when Artemis got a notification that someone uploaded a picture of her, she wasn't surprised.

But the fact that the person who had uploaded it was Wally made her nervous. Clicking on the link, it brought her to a page where there, full screen, was her sitting on Santa's lap.

"I knew that Santa looked familiar," she groaned. "Wally West, I'm going to kill you."

Did you enjoy it? The idea came from a prompt by an anon who goes by the name of Linsey. Thank you Linsey! I hope this came out the way you hoped it would! If not, I'll write a follow-up or something of the sort.

**Okay, you've taken the time to read this far. Review please? Please? I'm not begging. Alright, maybe a little. Or a lot. JUST REVIEW! (I'!)**

**Buh-bye!**

**Val**


	17. Don't Call Her Arty

**Why, uh, I'm terrible, aren't I? My updates are coming very slowly lately. I meant to take some time and write HUNDREDS of stories, but that didn't work out too well. Bummer.**

**This update is really, really long for you all having to put up with the wait. Over 1800 words, if I'm not mistaken. I'm pretty sure that's a record for me. It took me all week to write and nine pages of paper plus whatever I added when I copied it onto my laptop. Just a warning, though, this particular fic mentions some rather… feminine problems. If you don't feel comfortable with it, it's very brief and not all that pertinent to the story, so you can skip over that bit. You'll know when you get there.**

**I know in the last update, a few of you wanted me to continue it. That was purely intended to be a oneshot, and unfortunately, I don't have the inspiration in me to write a follow-up. I'll try, but don't count on it.**

**It would be ever so nice of you to read and review! I love it when that happens!**

Artemis sat clutching her mug of cocoa moodily. Scenes from earlier in the day were playing in her brain.

_She could feel the glare burning holes in the back of her neck. _Just brush it off, brush it off,_ she thought to herself. The glare intensified, causing the hair on the back of her nexk to stand on end. She clenched her teeth and felt her fists ball up at her sides. _

_Whipping around, her eyes darted from left to right, searching. There. The blonde standing by the gaggle of girls. Brittni. Oh, nothing to worry about. Just that… _Keep your cool, Artemis.

_Now they were calling out to her. Brittni strutted up, swinging her hips in what she must have thought was intimidating, yet eye candy for all of the boys around her. It just looked silly._

"_Atry, dear!" the sickly sweet words oozed out of Brittni's mouth._

"_What do you want?"_

"_Oh, just that this is fantastic lemonade! …Oops!"_

_Just then, Brittni pretended to trip. The open cup she had in her hands splashed its contents out and all over Artemis. Since it was yellow, it really did look like Artemis had peed all down her legs and now it pooled on the floor._

"_Real mature, Brittni," Artemis said, angrily. _

_A brunette with a pixie cut behind Brittni giggled. "Yah! Real mature! Wait… what does mature mean?"_

"_Shut up, Mai!" Brittni snapped._

_Cue the girls' toilets._

_Artemis angrily scrubbed at her legs, but it was in vain. Whatever had been in the "lemonade" had included some type of dye. Not to mention her skirt, socks, and shoes were now all ruined. Prep school clothes didn't come cheap, and she had no idea how she was supposed to get a new uniform. _

_The bathroom door opened and a girl with flaming red hair stepped in holding a bundle of neatly folded material. _

"_Hey, I thought you might need a change of clothes," Barbara said, offering up her gift._

"_I can't take this from you."_

"_Relax, it's from the lost and found."_

_Artemis took it warily and slipped into the skirt. A rap on the door caused her to look up. _

"_You can come in, Dick. No one's in here," Barbara called. A mop of dark hair appeared._

"_Hello, Artemis!" the freshman chirped._

Artemis glared at the wall opposite of her much in the same way as Brittni had glared at her. A slight movement behind her caused her to spin out of her chair and into a defensive position to find out who the intruder was.

The ginger smiled cheekily at her, hands raised in mock surrender.

"Hiya, Arty!"

"Don't call me that."

"Arty, Arty, Arty!"

"Seriously, stop."

He disappeared, then came back into focus behind her.

"Don't pretend you don't like it, Arty!"

He began to run in circles, picking up speed till he was only a blur taunting her.

"Arty!"

"Arty!"

"Arty!"

"ARTY!"

He said it over and over and over again. His words began to melt into other voices. Brittni's. Mai's.

Overwhelmed, Artemis clapped her hands over her ears. "Shut up! Just shut up!" She choked on her words, sobs beginning to bubble up from her gut.

Running blindly at the wall of speedster, she broke through leaving a very confused Wally tangled on the ground.

Stumbling into her room, she lay down on her bed.

The date. What was the date?

She forced herself into a sitting position and pulled out her phone. Selecting "calendar," she scrolled to the past month where two "busy" appointments sat at the beginning and end of a week. Counting the days in her head, she gasped. She'd completely forgotten! No wonder she'd been so weepy and irritable. Tomorrow began her… time of the month.

A rap at the door pulled her out of her reverie.

"Come in," her voice cracked out.

Wally walked in looking humorous, but concerned nonetheless.

"Hey, Arty, what's wrong?"

It was the way he said it. The uncomfortable kindness in his voice that was so unlike Wally made her wary.

"Go away."

"I just wanted to make sure you're alright, is all."

Was it just her or was there a laugh behind those words? Would she become, yet again, the brunt of someone's jokes?

"Wally, go away." Her voice was dangerously low, poisonous, even.

"But I-"

"If you must know, West, someone was rude to me at school, I'm about to start my period, AND YOU KEEP ANNOYING ME! Why, Wally?"

He had begun to smile.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS LAUGH AT ME? Why are you so rude and inconsiderate?"

That last comment did it. She'd hurt him. His face fell and his green eyes dulled.

"If that's the way you feel about me," Wally said, obviously crestfallen, "I'll just go."

"Good!"

The door slammed behind him and she instantly regretted her outburst. Wally, though a jokester, had honestly seemed like he'd wanted to know why she was upset. It was almost as if he cared about her.

Giving up and feeling incredibly sorry for herself, she flopped back onto her bed.

She must have fallen asleep, because when she opened her eyes, all of the lights in her room were off. Someone had been here, though who, she couldn't be certain.

Blinking, she stood to fumble towards the door. Opening it, the hallway was eerily silent. It must have been late at night, because normally she could hear at least one person's voice.

A gurgle emanated from her gut. She hadn't eaten dinner, and Artemis realized she was starving. There might be leftovers in the fridge, but she doubted it since Wally was at the cave.

A pang hit her. Wally. She'd been so mean to him earlier.

Padding softly, she only stopped when she heard the crackle of TV static. Peering into the living room, the hulking mass of Conner could be seen sitting on the couch.

"Hey Artemis," he said, without glancing at her.

She couldn't take it anymore. "Hey. Conner, why do you only watch static? You must know that there are actual _shows_ on, right?"

Was that a smile? It was small, but the corners of the clone's mouth were definitely tugging up.

"Contrary to popular belief, Artemis, I am fully capable of using a television. I prefer the static because it helps me clear my head. I can think better when I stare at it. It's kind of hypnotic, really."

Maybe the clone wasn't stupid after all.

Marveling at the newly found intelligence in Conner, Artemis asked, "Um, could I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"If you got mad at someone, then yelled at them, and now you feel bad about it, what would you do?"

Without hesitation, he replied, "I'd say sorry."

Of course he would. That's what decent people, or in this case clones, do.

"So you'd apologize even if you didn't like the person?"

Conner was definitely smiling now.

"You mean like you and Wally?"

Shock registered on Artemis' face. "How'd you know that's who-"

"Superhuman hearing. By the way, we all know you like each other. M'gann told me."

"Oh… What? I definitely don't like him."

"Whatever you say." Conner went back to watching the static.

Sensing that the conversation was over, Artemis walked off, mulling over what had just happened.

Conner had turned out to be… deep. And he gave obvious, but good, advice.

Going into the kithen, Artemis opened the refrigerator. Nothing. She tried the icebox and was rewarded with a small tub of gelato. Grabbing it, she sat at the counter. How was she going to apologize to Wally?

She came to the conclusion that she should just do it. After spooning the last bit of gelato into her mouth, she headed off to his room. Knowing Wally, he'd probably be playing video games at this hour.

When she reached the closed door, she tapped lightly. No answer. Slowly, she pushed it in. The light was on, and she could hear his voice. Sure enough, he was playing a game.

"Wally?"

He turned, seeing it was her, and said into his headset, "Hang on, Rob. I'm going to pause my game. You're on your own."

She could hear protests before Wally turned the TV off.

"Were you talking to Robin? Classy," she said, snidely.

He rolled his eyes. "Robin happens to be home alone and exceedingly bored. Now, why are you in my room at two in the morning?"

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I never should have yelled at you."

Wally looked confused, then his eyes widened with remembrance. "Don't be sorry. I annoyed you. On purpose, might I add."

He glanced at the game controller he held in his hands. "Do you wanna play?" he asked, offering it to her.

"Why would I do that? I'd probably suck at gaming."

Wally smiled. "You never know till you try!"

She took the controller and Wally gave her a headset that had appeared from nowhere. After they both had all of the gaming necessities (including snacks from Wally's personal 'pantry'), they began to play.

Robin came back online, and, after some explaining, properly taught Artemis the art of shooting bad guys on the TV.

Turns out Artemis could kick butt virtually, too.

Too soon, though, the game was turned off. Wally spun, arms crossed. "I thought you said you sucked?" He was grinning.

"I do!" Artemis protested.

"Yah right."

She stood and stretched. "I'd better get back to my room. We have training in the morning."

Wally walked with her over to the door. "You can totally play anytime you want with us, but you always have to be on my team. Robin plays too well for his own good. "

Artemis shared Wally's chuckle as she stepped out of the doorway. "I'll see you in the morning, I guess."

"Yah, guess so…"

Was that… longing in Wally's eyes? But just as soon as it appeared, it had disappeared once more. She turned to leave.

But a hand pulled her back around and all of a sudden she was pulled into an embrace so strong, that she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"I'm so sorry there was someone mean to you at school today," he murmured.

She was about to reply when she was released from his grip. Looking up at him, she saw something she'd never seen in his eyes before. But now he was tilting her head up and leaning down to her. And now she could feel her eyes closing.

And now the only thing in the world was Wally kissing her and she kissing him back.

**I hope you enjoyed it! It wasn't too fluffy, but it wasn't too angsty this time either. I promise I'll have a Cracked Vision and another Spitfire Collection update within the next couple of weeks. **

**If you review, I'll write about Robin reacting to Waltermis. Or you might get a plushie. Or, if you'd like (and state this specifically!), I'll try and write an oc of you into one of my stories. **

**Send me your prompts and story ideas! **

**Love you all!**

**~Val**


	18. The Way He Gets Under Her Skin

**Hello, friends! It's been a while. I've come to realize what the cause of my writer's block is: lack of new YJ episodes. Several readers have given me many fantastic ideas, and I'm so glad to have all of you. Every one of you is amazing, spectacular, and just all together perfect. I'm so sorry I've been slow lately. When March 3****rd**** rolls around, I'm expecting this awful writer's block to lift. My life has gotten a whole lot less hectic, so time is back on my side as well. In regards to today's update, it's not short, but it's not long either. The lovely Luvetta gave the idea to me. Her inspiration came from the song "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem and Rihanna. I hope everyone enjoys it and reviews, favorites, or watches!**

**I hate disclaimers.**

Everything about him annoyed Artemis. Granted, everything about a lot of people bugged her, but he really got under her skin. Today was no different. Couldn't he understand that he just wasn't all that?

She guessed it started when she showed up at the mountain. There he was, sitting on the couch, eating cookies when they were just about to start training. He'd turned as she'd walked past the couch, and, spraying crumbs everywhere, spluttered out a snarky comment. She couldn't even remember what he'd said.

Scowling, she'd stomped off to the training area. Only, when she arrived, it wasn't Black Canary standing there, it was Batman with another mission. She guessed she was just tired or something because she really didn't want to go, but she climbed into the bio-ship anyways.

The whole way to the other side of the world, Wally West insisted on kicking the back of her seat. He'd dart from his seat to hers so quickly she couldn't catch him. It went on like that over and over and over again.

But she kept her cool.

During the mission itself, he managed to trip over the trip wire that not only created a massive pit filled with razor-sharp spikes at the bottom that Artemis almost fell into, but he also got the heat seeking missiles to follow him. One blew up, chipping Artemis' nail.

And finally, to top the whole day off, he called her Arty.

She spun on her heel. "What is _wrong_ with you, Wally? Why are you always such a… a… _JERK_?"

She relished the stunned look that graced the kid's face. His mouth hung open. She stomped off, ready for the day to end.

The next day, however, wasn't much different besides for the fact that there wasn't a mission. She had spent the night at the mountain. She awoke to a radio blaring through her head. Opening her eyes, she blearily gazed around her empty room. There was nothing there. Her alarm clock wasn't on.

The intercom.

"WALLY WEST!" she screamed. Throwing herself out of bed, she jammed on a robe and slippers and stalked quickly to the one place she knew he'd be: with Robin in the control room.

Throwing open the door, she threw herself at the shocked red haired boy, punching him in the face.

"Why are you so annoying? Why must you hate me so much, that you _insist_ on doing everything you can to get under my skin? If being a hero requires being teamed up with you, I'm done. I'm out of here. Don't follow me, you won't find me."

She stormed out of the room. On her way to the zeta beams, she grabbed her backpack, bow, and her arrows. This was it. She was done.

Wally hadn't meant to make her mad. He just liked the look on her face every time he pulled yet another prank.

A trickle of blood dripped into his open mouth. His nose hurt, a lot. "Dude!" he cried to Robin. "I think she broke my nose!"

"You deserve it."

"Do you think she meant what she said about not being a hero?"

"I don't know," Robin shrugged, "I wouldn't worry about it."

"I wasn't worrying," Kid Flash muttered, defensively.

But Artemis never showed up for training later on that day. Batman glared down at the team.

"Where's Artemis?" he asked in his low, gravelly voice.

Everyone shrugged.

"The last time I saw her was this morning when she punch Wally in the nose," Robin chirped, helpfully. "She said something about 'leaving' and 'don't follow me' or something along those lines."

Batman glared at Wally. "Why did she punch you?" he asked. Wally seriously doubted Batman needed him to tell him. In fact, he was fairly certain the Bat already knew.

"I, uh, played a radio rather loudly over the intercom system directly wired to her room," he said, sheepishly.

Batman's glare intensified. "Fine. You seem to be the one who knows her reactions the best. You can go find her."

Kaldur raised an eyebrow. "Should we not wait for Artemis to cool down? Maybe she will return on her own."

Batman turned to the Atlantean. "I do not believe Artemis will return. Her level of pride was instilled at a high level when she was at a very young age. She will not return even if to make a point. Wally will go, find her, and figure out exactly how he can make her return. That's final."

With just the swish of a cape to signal his leaving, Batman was gone.

Wally sighed. "How am I supposed to find her? I could run around the world forty times and never be able to locate Artemis. I can barely find her here, much less the rest of the world!"

M'Gann looked confused. "If you can barely find her here, at headquarters, how do you manage to make her angry so often?"

"She comes to me, if she gets mad enough. All I have to do is plan ahead."

"I see," M'gann said, rather doubtfully.

"The only problem is that I can't do that on a world-wide scale."

Robin placed a gloved hand on his friend's shoulder. "Maybe you should try figuring out her identity first."

Artemis knew where she was going. She'd stopped by the apartment to leave her sleeping mother a note and she was on her way. She was doing what she'd always done when she couldn't stand anything anymore. She went to Daddy.

Wally had no clue what he was doing. He'd realized that Robin knew dear Arty's identity but wouldn't tell him what it was unless it was in the form of 20 Questions.

"You have to ask the right questions, KF," Robin had said, nonchalantly.

"Uh, is she someone we know."

"Duh."

"Does she… attend school?"

"Yep."

"Does she have a boyfriend?"

"How does that help you?"

"Ugh, fine. Um, do we know any of her relatives?"

"Now we're getting somewhere! Yes."

"Are they human?"

Robin gave Wally a look of incredulity. "You're stupid. You must be stupid."

"I mean, are they _normal_ humans?"

"That depends on your definition of normal."

"DOES SHE HAVE ANY SUPERPOWERED PARENTS?"

"No."

"Oh. Are either of her parents someone we've fought?"

"Yes."

"Her mom?"

"No."

"Her dad?"

"Yes."

"Anyone else in her family?"

"Yes."

"Does she have a sister?"

"Yes."

"Is she related to Taylor Swift?"

"You need to be admitted to the hospital for brain damage. We've only ever fought a few half Vietnamese people, Wally!"

"Cheshire!"

"That took you long enough."

"And… the guy with the hook for a hand?"

"Does she look like she's related to that guy?"

"…No?"

"You're impossible, Wally. You're on question sixteen."

"Uh, is she related to the Light in any way?"

"Not sure."

An idea dawned on Wally. "SPORTSMASTER! Is she related to him?"

Robin smiled. "Go find your archer, Wall-man."

Wally fist-pumped the air. "Yes!" he cried.

"Jade?" Artemis called out into the ancient temple. "Dad?"

A soft thump behind her made her acknowledge her sister's presence. "What are you doing here, Arty? You're not going to try and arrest your own dear sister again, are you?"

"No, nothing like that," Artemis said into the darkness. "I'm just here for help."

**Look! An attempt at a cliffhanger! Did it work? Do you want more? I hope so. In other news, I've decided to do one of those blog thingies with Kaldur. An update of Cracked Vision should be coming out eventually as well. I hope you all enjoyed this and PLEASE R&R! **

**Love always,**

**Val**


	19. The Way He Gets Under Her Skin Pt 2

**So… Here's part 2! I'm sorry everyone, I got really caught up in writing Kaldur's blog (which, if you haven't seen, you must go look at immediately) and although this has been sitting partially completed on my computer hardrive for two weeks, I hadn't finished it till now. I really hope you enjoy this new installment of The Way He Gets Under Her Skin! (That's a really long title…) Don't forget to review! It makes my world go round. But seriously. Review.**

There was one person on the planet that knew of Sportsmaster's location on this planet that Wally could trust.

"Hey, uh, Roy?" Wally asked into his cell phone.

"What?" his friend answered.

"Yah, I wanna catch up on life and stuff with you, but I have a question. Where's Sportsmaster?"

An exasperated bark of a laugh sounded on the other side of the phone.

"How would you expect me to know that?"

"Because you're the last good guy to fight him."

"Last I saw, he was in Taipei. But of course, that's probably changed."

"Thanks Roy!" Wally exclaimed before hanging up his phone. "Now… where am I?" he muttered, looking at his surroundings. Judging by the styles of the buildings, he was in Moscow. "Well, _this_ is no where near Taipei."

"Arty, dear, this is a much harsher world than the one you're used to. We don't eat bon bons and sit by a fire."

Artemis gritted her teeth. Her sister's patronizing was not appreciated.

"Just take me to Dad."

A look of disgust flitted over Cheshire's face. "Fine. Daddy hasn't changed at all."

"Did I ask?" Artemis shot back. She was well aware of her sister's strained relationship with their father. In fact, she wasn't very close to her dad either. She'd put up with far more verbal, mental, and physical abuse than Jade had. In some aspects, she respected her sister greatly for getting up and leaving after their mom had been sent to jail.

Jade shook her head, angrily, and stalked off into the ancient temple, Artemis following closely behind.

Soon they came to a large cavernous room somewhere underneath the great building. Artemis could see her father, Sportsmaster, standing in the middle of the room in a heated discussion with another man. He did not acknowledge her presence, but Artemis knew she didn't need to wait for very long. In his own time, he would turn around and call out to her.

Of course, this was the part where Artemis' plans ended. She was right in thinking he'd turn to her, but she didn't expect his reaction.

Anger. He was actually angry. No, not just angry, infuriated.

"You dare to show your face here?" he screamed. "You betrayed me! You betrayed everyone! What are you doing?" He stomped to face her and held out one arm, grabbing at her throat. He squeezed and lifted her slightly off the ground.

She couldn't breathe. The stale air in her lungs was being forced in. She scrabbled at his hands and flailed her limbs wildly, but to no avail.

"You worthless scum!" he spat, dropping her to the floor where she lay crumpled at his feet. "You never learned your place in this world! You disgust me!" He kicked her once, hard in the stomach.

And Artemis did nothing.

Wally had finally made it to the temple and quickly began tracing Cheshire and Artemis' steps. They led through several dark, damp tunnels that he slipped through, dodging guards, massive dogs, and several suspicious puddles.

Finally he reached a large wooden door that was slightly cracked. He peeked through the thin opening to view a cavernous room. A man was kicking a figure in the center. A figure that looked like a bruised and very bloody certain archer. Wally immediately had the urge to race in and protect her, but the man turned away from his administrations to Artemis to face another henchman. It was Sportsmaster. The game just got a lot more dangerous. Wally knew he couldn't just attack. Sportsmaster was far too elusive and smart for that kind of approach. No, Wally would have to be just as cunning as the villain.

"Cheshire!" Sportsmaster yelled. "Take this piece of trash to a room and lock her in!"

Artemis felt her sister grip her arms and pull her over the rough floor away from her dad. "You never should have come back, Arty," Jade muttered before Artemis finally succumbed to the blackness that was closing in.

Wally had darted out of the way just in time as the doors swung open and Cheshire walked out of the room, Artemis in tow. He was now currently following them as closely as possible. It wasn't easy, but so far, so good.

Cheshire turned around. "Oh, Flash Boy!" she crooned. "It's so wonderful to see you!"

Crap. So far, so bad.

Cheshire flipped backwards over the archer's body and confronted Wally. Her sais were pulled out midair so quickly that not even Wally, fastest boy alive, saw them move.

"Oh how I've waited to see you again. You know how stupid you are? Coming here to get your teammate? I'll have you know that she came here willingly."

Wally could recognize when he was in a losing battle, but this wasn't one of them. He still had his last weapon: his mouth.

"Yes, kitty, I did know she came here willingly. That's why _I'm _here. _I'm_ here to convince her that this was a mistake!" he cried out. Cheshire smiled.

"Of course, little boy. You came here willingly as well. You know what we do with intruders, right? You saw what happened to Artemis? We kill them." She lunged forward, her small daggers moving with her in the direction of Wally's heart. He flipped backwards, aiming a kick at the oncoming woman. His foot connected with her jaw, snapping her head upward. He heard a crack and Cheshire dropped, holding her cracked jaw in place. There was no way she'd be able to fight like that. Wally gave a roundhouse kick, knocking Cheshire out.

Too late did he realize his mistake. An alarm sounded and several men rushed forwards from all sides. He was surrounded.

Artemis blinked slowly, getting rid of the dryness in her eyes.

"Hey, beautiful," a low, familiar voice said. He hadn't called her that since… since…. The Bialya mission.

"Wally?" she groaned, her voice cracking. "Wha-What..." She was stopped by a gentle hand brushing her hair back from her, what she realized now, sweaty forehead.

"Shh… I kicked butt. End of story." Artemis arched an eyebrow painfully. "Okay, I called in backup, but I did kick _some_ butts. Maybe even a few literally." He chuckled, but it sounded forced. She smiled a small smile up at him before remembering why she had left the team in the first place. Her smile dropped.

"It's your fault I'm in this… Wait, what _am _I in?" she asked, looking around.

Wally shrugged. "Hospital cot. Sportsmaster beat you up pretty badly. You had some broken ribs, a concussion, and internal bleeding. We're in Mount Justice's infirmary."

Question answered, she went back to admonish him. "Wally West, you are the most annoying creature on the face of this earth. Why'd you push me so far over the edge that I left the team? Huh?"

Wally hung his head. "I'm sorry, Artemis. I really am."

She grunted. "Ugh, it's over now. I'm going to get some sleep, could you maybe leave? It's a little creepy with you sitting there."

Wally jumped up and ran out the door, shocked. He must have realized exactly how crazy it was for him to be there, but he'd be back, she knew it.

Several hours later, Artemis wakened to voices. One was Robin, the other Wally. She was about to turn over and tell them to shut up, she was sleeping, but something made her stop.

"Seriously, KF, you've gotta tell me," Robin said.

"No, Rob, I don't think so. Besides, I get the feeling you already know the answer to your own question."

"Just because I know the answer doesn't mean I want to hear you say it."

"I'm _not_ answering your question, Robin. I'm not telling you if I do or do not like Artemis as anything more than a teammate."

"Suit yourself," the mischievous bird answered. Artemis heard the infirmary door slide open and shut as Robin left.

A soft thud could be heard as Wally dropped himself back into the chair next to her hospital bed.

"I wish Robin would leave me alone about you," Wally whispered to Artemis, oblivious to her state of consciousness.

_Good, he thinks I'm asleep,_ Artemis thought.

"The truth is, Arty, I love you. I've loved you since the Bialya mission when I saw you for the first time as something other than the person who took Roy's place. I only teased you because I didn't know how to confront my feelings. I'm not much of a lady's man, as you know."

_Oh my gosh. He's confessing his feelings! _Artemis panicked, mind racing. Suddenly, she came to a conclusion. She loved the red-headed speedster too.

She rolled over to face the very shocked Kid Flash and slapped him, hard. "Ow!" he cried, rubbing his smarting cheek.

"That was for annoying me instead of talking about your feelings," she said. "This is my response for you finally telling me how you feel." She reached up and gripped his neck, bringing his face close. His lips met hers before she even realized what they were doing, but she grabbed him tighter, gingerly bringing her other arm up to grab his waist that was now conveniently position itself next to her. She felt Wally slide his arms under her and gently prop her up into a sort of embrace.

A cackle filled the room. "I told you so!" Robin screeched and a cell phone camera clicked. Artemis pulled away from Wally abruptly.

"Robin, that is _so_ not cool!"

**So… what'd you think? Did I nail it or fail it? As a note, updates will be coming anywhere between one and two weeks, so be sure to watch for them! If you have an idea for me to write, tell me! It really helps!**

**Xoxo**

**Val**


	20. Time to Die

**Phew. I meant to have this up last week, I really did! What happened was I decided to try writing an outline and following that. Needless to say, I definitely like writing by a plan. Unfortunately, I LOST my plan then had to write the end from my head. **

**The ending isn't my most favorite of all my endings.**

**All in all, this story turned out pretty well. I might even extend it! I was going to, but after staring at it for 4 days and not coming up with anything new, I figured I might as well upload this now. I really hope you all enjoy it and PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you dearies!**

**Added note... sorry for the two notifications that I uploaded! Something went wrong or whatever.**

_It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie_

_The moment to live and the moment to die_

_The moment to fight, the moment to fight, to fight, to fight, to fight_

This is War- Thirty Seconds to Mars

Paula Crock knew it was time to die. There would be no more running, no more escaping, no more hiding. Finally, someone from her dark past had decided to eliminate her.

The tall, lean man edged his way gracefully into the apartment, stalking the older woman like a lion and its prey.

"I suppose you're here to kill me?" Paula asked softly, not daring to turn and look. Her wheelchair began to move forward as the man took her handles. "You don't have to do this, you know. No matter what they're paying you, it really isn't worth it." There was no reply. Of course, he was a trained assassin. Assassins don't reply to their targets. It was… unprofessional.

As much as she wanted to, Paula forced herself not to fight back, not even for Artemis. It was time. She'd known for weeks, months even. She had become a hazard of some kind and the League wanted her gone. She accepted her fate willingly, only hoping that Artemis would understand. There was nothing to be done. The past always races to catch up with your present and future. Artemis was a strong girl; she had her team. She would be fine.

The assassin lifted the window in the living room. She couldn't see his face due to a white plaster mask covering everything except his eyes and two slits for him to breathe through. He turned to her and gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her out through the now open window. She understood now. It would be made to look like suicide so that the League could never be traced back to this murder. Slowly, carefully, the man held her over the edge of the fire escape.

_1… 2… 3…_

The grip that was anchoring her to life released and the ground raced up to meet her.

It was time to die.

Only minutes later did Artemis arrive, backpack in hand. Being unconventional, she took the fire escape to her room, or rather, she usually did. As she made the right into the alley, her heart stopped.

Her mother was on the ground, lying in a position impossible to attain by choice.

"_Mother!_" Artemis screamed, racing to the woman's side to check her pulse. There was a faint beating and immediately she felt relief even though she knew her mother would need immediate medical attention. Fumbling with the bag in her hand, she reached into a pocket and pulled out her phone to dial the emergency hotline.

Paramedics arrived in moments, checking pulses, unfolding a gurney, and talking in low soft voices. Artemis didn't hear anything; she just stared at the wall, in shock. She needed to be brave. Why was it so hard?

"Miss!" a man cried in front of her. "If you are of relation to the woman, please get into the ambulance!"

Numbly, she followed him into the large white truck.

Soon after arriving to the hospital, she was ushered to a waiting area while her mother was prepped for surgery. A very strict "we'll come get you when we're ready" was ordered and she was left alone in the silent, empty waiting room.

She realized she wouldn't be able to face this alone. Not now. Pulling out her phone for the second time that night, she dialed the first person she could think of.

"Zatanna?" she asked as she heard the receiver pick up.

"Hey Arty!"

"Um, are you free right now?" she choked out.

"Uh… free for what, exactly? Artemis, what's wrong?" Zatanna asked, worried.

"I'm at the hospital."

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?"

"Physically? I'm fine. My mom, on the other hand, isn't. I just want someone to sit with." She could feel uncharacteristic tears welling in her eyes. No. She refused to cry.

The sliding doors to the hospital opened quicker than expected and a frazzled Zatanna walked in followed closely by M'gann and… Wally? M'gann ran up to her and embraced her tightly while Zatanna sat down and put an arm around her shoulder.

Crushed by her friends, she barely was able to murmur into M'gann's ear, "What's _he_ doing here?"

Zatanna, overhearing the question, whispered back to Artemis, "He wanted to come. He insisted, actually." M'gann nodded in agreement.

Wally walked over to the group, sensing his name being mentioned. He looked as if he were about to say something, but instead thought better of it and sat down on a chair across from the girls.

Hours passed, the entire time M'gann and Zatanna kept guard on either side of Artemis while Wally said nothing. It was disconcerting being in Wally's presence and not hearing his voice.

Eventually, a doctor came through two swinging doors and Artemis straightened as he walked towards her.

"Miss Crock?" he asked questioningly.

"That's me," she replied, hoping for good news.

He took a deep breath. "I'm terribly sorry, miss, but your mother died on the operating table. Her brain's swelling was unable to reduce."

Shock zoomed through her very being, shaking her bones and freezing her blood. Impossible. It was completely impossible! Her mother… dead? "No!" she whispered as her friends hugged her tightly, unable to do anything else.

Time went by and finally Green Arrow brought up the topic of burial.

"What do you want to happen, Artemis?" he had asked her. "I didn't want to make plans without knowing your ideas first."

She had thought for a while going through all of her choices. She knew that her mother wouldn't want a visitation and a full-blown funeral, so she decided to ask Ollie for just a private burial.

So now this was where she was, at a private burial for her own mother. A few people had shown up, namely Ollie, Dinah, the team, and a few other League members out of politeness.

Finally, after everything was over and everyone had gone, she found herself alone and sitting in front of the fresh grave. The sun was shining, almost blasphemous in light of the day.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind her and Artemis turned to face two familiar faces.

"Jade? Dad?" she asked, heartbroken but ready to fight. They weren't welcome here. Not after what they'd done. Her father had left her mother to rot in prison and Jade had left, not even willing to wait for her mother to get out.

"Relax, baby girl," her father said softly. "We're just here to pay our respects." He stepped forward as if to comfort her.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, jerking her shoulder away from his hand.

Lawrence Crock shook his head sadly. "I loved your mother. I always did."

"That didn't keep you from abandoning her!" Artemis cried.

"Arty, we're really just here to say our last goodbyes," Jade spoke up. Artemis noticed the cracked and brokenness of her sister's voice. Jade had been crying. Artemis stepped aside, too distraught to do much of anything else. Her father knelt down at the grave and placed a single lily on the mound of dirt. As he stood up, he passed by Artemis for the final time.

"Baby girl, this is the last time we'll see each other under… non-violent circumstances."

She nodded and Jade walked over to her and embraced her for the last time.

"Remember, dear sister, you always have a place with the Shadows."

Artemis pushed out of her sister's hug. "I will never, ever need to belong with the Shadows. I'd rather die first!" she spat.

Her father gave Jade a long look. "Well then, suit yourself sister. We have places to go and people to kill. I trust we'll be seeing you and your kiddie team before long though, so goodbye and tell Red Arrow I miss him!"

Just like that, they disappeared with Jade's dry laughter echoing around the cemetery and Artemis fell back in front of her mother's tombstone too grief-stricken for words.

A gust of wind blew past her, ruffling her hair.

"Hey." A warm hand began to massage her back, rubbing circles into the worn, tough muscles. She stiffened, then relaxed slightly at the unexpected human contact.

"Wally?" she choked, struggling to hold back tears.

He dropped to his knees and pulled her into a hug. "Artemis, there's no shame in crying. Let your pride go for just a few moments. It's just us here."

Giving in finally, Artemis buried her head into Wally's neck, sobbing hysterically. Just for a moment she noticed how well they fit together, but she brushed the selfish thought.

"I-I just can't believe she's gone!" Artemis wailed. Wally said nothing, just held her close. She was glad. She didn't want someone to tell her that everything would be okay or that eventually the scars of her mother's death would fade and she'd be happy again. She could never be happy again.

After some time, she felt Wally support her into a standing position. He kept a protective arm around her as he lead her out of the memorial garden and back to the zeta tubes for easy access back to Mount Justice. She let him lead her and kept her head tucked into him, not paying attention to the surrounding area. Soon they were at the Gotham portal, awaiting transport. She let go and stepped into the broken phone booth.

"Artemis, B07."

Her view changed drastically as she was greeted by the drab interior of an empty headquarters for the team.

"Kid Flash, B03."

His arm circled around her waist in just moments as he then pointed her towards the couch in the nearby living room. She collapsed onto it, the weight of the whole world feeling like it was pushing down on her shoulders.

The next few days passed by like a dream, no, a nightmare. This couldn't be happening. There was no way her mother, her amazingly strong mother, was dead.

Artemis stared up at her dark ceiling in her room at Mount Justice. She'd decided to move in there and sell the apartment. There were too many bad memories left at the place she used to call home.

A knock at her door sounded and Wally walked in with a tray of food. She hadn't spoken to him this entire time, granted she hadn't spoken to anyone, so she was slightly surprised to see him. Or, rather, she would have been surprised, but she had trouble feeling much of anything lately.

"Hey," he murmured, taking a seat on a chair by her bed. She glanced over at him. "I brought you dinner," he tried again, this time motioning towards the food he held in his hand. "You know, I'm surprised they let me bring it to you, considering how I have the tendency to eat everything in sight!" He laughed lamely before continuing. "Oh, Canary says that you have mandatory therapy sessions beginning tomorrow. She won't take no and says she'll have Conner and Kaldur forcefully drag you to her if you don't show up." When he got no response, he turned to leave. Just as he reached the door, he turned around one last time. "If you ever need a friend to talk to, you know you can talk to me, right?" She stayed silent and he sighed at her lack of answer.

"Wally?" she asked, tentatively. He turned around, hopeful. "Uh, thanks."

He nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"May I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, Artemis."

"Would you mind staying over at the cave tonight? I just don't want to be alone."

"But you won't be. Zatanna, Conner, and M'gann are going to be here."

"I know, but I mean I don't want to be alone in my room. When it's late at night, it feels like the dark is going to try and strangle me. M'gann goes to sleep early, Conner does his thing, and Zatanna has enough of her own problems to worry about without me adding on to them. Please don't leave me?"

He nodded and came back to sit on the edge of her bed. Artemis rolled over and tried to fall asleep, grateful that Wally had decided to stay. She didn't want to admit it, but his presence was the one thing that alleviated some of the aching pain in her gut over her mother's passing. Without even trying, she fell asleep quickly, dropping into the dark abyss.

Wally watched her eyes shut and her breathing slow before he even thought about getting up and leaving the room. She was so beautiful and only in sleep did she truly look peaceful. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned over her gently and kissed her temple. She shuddered and moaned slightly, but made no other movement. He smiled slightly.

"Goodnight, Artemis," he whispered.

**You've actually just read my longest piece of work ever. Tell me what you think! Oh, uh, I need ideas and I need a lot of 'em. Please! Please review and tell me!**

**Another thing: please check out Kaldur's Blog! Thank you!**

**PUSH THE BUTTON.**

**: )**


	21. Track and Field

**Look who's back… back again. Val is back, tell your friends.**

**Okay, I've been dying to use the Eminem reference for, like, FOREVER! It's been a while (4-5 months, in fact), dear readers, but I promise. I'm back… for now. It took me a while to find my muse again, so bear with me! OH, and my ship has sailed now that Arty and Wally are still together! YAY love. **

**So the last story I updated is the best story I've personally ever written, in my opinion. However, I'm trying to get back into writing again. Anyways, I got an idea a few days ago. THE OLYMPICS. OH DEAR GOODNESS, LET'S PUT THE TEAM AT THE OLYMPICS. So I present to you, Young Justice at the London Olympics, 2012. There will be fluff, baddies, and sports amongst nations promoting peace. (Although I haven't quite thought out how many parts this story will have, nor exactly what the situation is for villains. I dunno, maybe the Joker. I haven't decided.)**

**Without further ado, I present to you **_**Track and Field**_**!**

The team was oddly quiet as they waited in anticipation for the Batman to assign them with their mission. The Dark Knight stalked silently into the room to face the group of teens.

Wally gripped Artemis' hand loosely out of sight from the rest of the group.

Batman began to speak in his gravelly, deep voice. "As you're all aware, every four years there is a gathering to show world peace in the form of sports. This year, you are being assigned as security for the London Olympics."

The team gasped as one in excitement. Wally squeezed Artemis' hand just a little tighter.

"You will all leave for Great Britain in the morning to meet with the head of security. Get some rest. Jet lag isn't pleasant on the job."

Just like that, Batman was gone down the hallway to take care of other business.

"The Olympics!" Wally exclaimed. "This is great! We're gonna get to go to the Olympics!"

Robin placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Chill, KF. We're going to work, not watch the games."

Wally didn't look even slightly disheartened.

_**London, England**_

_**July 27, 2012**_

Zatanna pushed open the door with a flourish. "Fancy place," she murmured approvingly.

M'gann trailed behind the dark haired girl wonderingly. "When the head of security mentioned he'd be putting us up in a hotel, I imagined just a room. But this? This is incredible!"

Artemis flopped onto a couch that was situated at the side of the room, by a television. "I've gotta admit, the room has a nice vibe. Two bedrooms with two beds in each? A kitchenette complete with top of the line appliances? A flat screen TV? A bathtub with Jacuzzi jets? I think this is perfect for the four of us."

The fourth girl on the team made her way over to look at the refrigerator after closing the hotel door. "Any chance they've stocked the kitchen for us already, ladies?" Tula asked, grinning. She pulled the icebox open to reveal gelato. "Looks like they have your favorite, Arty!" the Atlantaean called.

"Ugh, don't call me that, Tulip!" Artemis groaned, using the nickname that the other girl was equally annoyed with.

"You don't react like that when Wally calls you that, Arty!" Tula teased.

A knock on the door called the girls out of their reverie of the room. M'gann lithely stepped over and opened it to reveal a red-headed teen. "Artemis, you have a gentleman caller!" she said, chuckling.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear," Artemis mumbled. She pulled herself up into a standing position to go greet her boyfriend. "Ah, I do believe it's the Wall-man himself!" she cried, faking the voice of an announcer.

"Hey babe! You wanna go sight seeing?"

Artemis rolled her eyes. "Sight seeing where? A stairwell? My shut eyes?"

Wally pretended to be taken aback. "What's wrong with making out?"

She punched him playfully on the shoulder. "Yah, yah. Okay, sightseeing it is. I really would like to see Abbey Road anyways."

"Whatever you say, my lady," Wally mockingly bowed and offered his arm for her.

"Oh shut up. We have a few hours and then we have to get to the Olympic Stadium to make sure everything goes smoothly." Artemis looked over her shoulder at the three other girls behind her, smirking at the banter between the couple. "Do any of you want to come with us?" she asked.

Zatanna grinned cheekily. "And ruin your date with the Wall-man? You two go on ahead. Us girls will see you both later." M'gann and Tula agreed.

A few minutes later, Artemis found herself walking down a street in London, having her ear chewed off by her talkative boyfriend. He was rattling statistics about a sport she'd never even heard of. Apparently, trampolining was a competitive sport at the Olympics.

She gazed off at the other side of the street where a boy her age was looking at a display in one of the shops. He turned around and met her eyes momentarily, started, and ducked his head as he hurried away. It was odd, he looked slightly familiar.

"Babe? Hey, babe? Hello? I'm right here!"

Artemis shook herself. Wally was waving his hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention. "What, Wally?" she asked, a tinge of annoyance.

"You kind of started day dreaming. We have to cross the street to keep walking… Are you okay?"

"Oh, yah. I saw someone that I thought I knew." The odd guy had had shaggy blonde hair, as if it was used to being in spikes, but had fallen limp. "Cameron!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" Wally asked, suddenly confused. "My name's Wally… Babe, what's going on?"

"Cameron, as in Icicle Jr. Cameron. I swear Wally, I just saw him. Either that, or I'm going crazy. I highly doubt the latter."

Wally reared back, understanding now. "Icicle Jr. here? That means…"

"Something's up. We'd better check it out," Artemis decided.

Wally nodded. "Which way did he go, Arty?"

Artemis grabbed her boyfriend's hand and took off running down the street pushing past tourists and locals alike. "He's on the other side of the street. Blonde hair, baggy jeans, loose sweatshirt."

"I see him!" Wally began to run across the road right into oncoming traffic, dragging Artemis behind him. He wasn't using his full powers due to the crowd around him, but even at normal human speeds Wally was, well, superhumanly fast.

They caught up to the kid just as he'd put up his hood and begun to start running. Wally tackled him, sending him flying, and Artemis pulled back the hood revealing just a local.

"You're not Cameron!" she cried out.

Wally looked down at the guy he was pinning. "He may not be Cameron, but he is a thief. Where'd you get all those nice wallets, buddy?"

The kid groaned and sirens came closer. A small crowd was beginning to gather and some cops pushed through. "Thanks kids!" one of them exclaimed to the two teens. "We'll take it from here."

Wally and Artemis slipped off then, before anyone could ask anymore questions.

Artemis sighed dejectedly. "I swear, I saw Icicle Jr., Wally."

"And I thought that was him," Wally told her. "If something is going on, we'll find out eventually. Let's just hurry up and get some food. I'm starving!"

"Food is all you think about, Wally. I swear."

"Actually, I think about you just a bit more than food, if I'm honest with you," Wally said, slyly putting his arm around her shoulders to pull her in for a kiss.

Artemis reached up on her toes to peck his cheek and pulled back quickly.

"Aw come on! A kiss on the cheek? Is that all I get?" Wally asked, feigning being hurt.

"Just for now, Wall-man. Just for now," Artemis reassured him. "I'm starving too, so let's find food, alright?"

"Those are the words I like to hear, babe!"

After a few hours, Artemis and Wally found themselves reunited with the team.

Artemis stepped forward to face her friends. "Before tonight really begins and we all find ourselves insanely busy, I have to tell you all something. While Wally and I were out this afternoon, we saw someone who looked like Icicle Jr. In fact, I'm certain it was him, but we have no proof."

Kaldur spoke up. "Be on the lookout for suspicious activity and especially for Icicle Jr. Remember, we're not wearing our uniforms, so don't try to take down anyone in public. This is just a scan and report type mission. Do not get involved in anything unless a known villain publicly threatens or attacks a civilian. In which case, keep in mind you are dressed as said civilians and none of you are allowed to use powers or weapons with the exception of M'gann's telepathy."

The team nodded and split up to take their places in the different areas of the arena.

Wally and Robin were paired to patrol by several dignitaries' boxes. As they began to nonchalantly scan the area to ensure there was nothing too out of the ordinary, a man stepped away from the flow of the people rushing past to approach Wally.

"Hey, you're the kid who took down that thief this afternoon, right?" he asked.

Wally shrugged. "I think you have the wrong guy."

"No, no, I'm certain it was you. Don't be modest. I'm a manager for one of the athletes competing in Track and Field. You run faster than anyone I know. Have you had professional training?"

"Er, you could say something like that," Wally grinned.

"I wanted to offer you seating close to the races. You and your friend here," he motioned to Robin, "could get better seats than you already have and see some of the stars compete!" He handed a slip of paper to Wally. "Take my card. Call the number on it and tell my secretary that Doon Burrell told you to call. She'll know what to do."

"Uh, thanks, sir!" Wally said, unsure of what to say.

"No problem, kid." With that, Doon disappeared back into the crowd rapidly passing.

Robin walked over to his friend. "You know you can't take the tickets, right KF? We're here for patrol, not entertainment."

Wally nodded, only slightly dejected. "It's one event. Maybe Bats will set me free? Just for a few hours?"

Robin shook his head. "You know Bruce when he's in costume. There's no way, and I repeat, _no way_ he drops a mission. His drive is incredible."

Wally knew he was right and dropped the subject, for the moment.

Artemis and Zatanna were down close to where the athletes would enter for the Parade of Nations.

"You know, this is exciting!" Zatanna exclaimed. "I've always wanted to go to the Olympic Games!"

Artemis smiled at her friend's enthusiasm, all the while scanning the crowd for anyone who looked out of the ordinary.

There.

A flash of limp blonde hair. She'd seen it again! That was definitely him! Cameron stood and walked out of sight.

"Zatanna, let's go. Icicle Jr. just left his seat a few rows over."

Zatanna and Artemis raced off to follow where Artemis had last seen Cameron disappear.

"Split up!" Artemis ordered to Zatanna. The girl nodded and headed in the opposite direction to warn Conner, the closest patrolling teammate, about the sighting.

Artemis caught sight of Cameron again when he ducked down a corridor . Quickly she ran to catch up to him.

She turned down the long hallway, noticing that it wasn't open to the general public, where Cameron had moved and saw that it was completely empty. At the end of it, she took a right and found a rather smug grin in her face.

"Hey Artemis. Long time no see!" the boy crowed.

"Cameron, why are you here?" Artemis asked, ignoring his attempt at a friendly conversation.

"Chill, Arty. No pun intended. I'm here to see the games."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to."

"What are you doing down a hallway that's clearly marked, 'Authorized Access Only'?"

Cameron just smiled.

"Did your father send you?"

"Why do you care?"

"You know why I care. Your father is a sniveling, conniving, jerk-wad of a man who's evil."

Cameron narrowed his eyes. "Don't talk about my dad like that, Arty." He pushed past her. "Oh, and you have no reason to hold me in custody, so I'll just be going back to my seat now." He made a move to leave, then stopped for a moment and turned back to her. Grabbing her shoulders, he leaned down and kissed Artemis' lips softly. "For old times' sake," he whispered to the shocked girl. She only watched in confusion as he sauntered off.

Her lips felt cold. Frozen. But when she touched them with her fingers, they felt like her normal body temperature. When Wally kissed her, she always felt warm and safe and loved, but after this unexpected kiss from Cameron, she felt lost, alone, and like a traitor.

Did this make her a cheater because she hadn't cried out or protested when Cameron kissed her? What if Wally found out and dumped her? He couldn't find out. She couldn't let him. Hours ago, she'd loved Wally with her whole heart. Now she just felt turmoil inside of her.

At the ending of the ceremony, where the Olympic Torch was lit, Wally searched for his girlfriend. Finally catching sight of her, he made his way over to where she stood, clutching her arms as if she were cold.

"You cold, babe?" he asked, whispering in her ear. Artemis shrugged noncommittally. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "I thought, since we don't get to have actual dates often, we could just pretend this was a date!" He saw her the corners of her lips twitch up.

As the bearer of the Olympic flame approached the torch, he hugged Artemis even tighter. When the flame was finally touched to the torch itself, Wally turned his head to kiss Artemis' temple. "I love you babe, even if we do only get to go on suckish dates."

Artemis glanced up at him. "I love you too, Wally," she told him, distantly.

Wally looked at her concerned. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Artemis lied. Despite her horrible lying capabilities, Wally believed her story and turned to look at the cheering crowds.

Artemis wanted to cower. She felt horrible. Artemis definitely wasn't fine.

**Did you like it, my lovelies? I hope so. Let me know if I nailed it or failed it or if any of you have an idea as to what I shall put the team through for some kind of rescue mission! If you'd like to submit a villain for me to stick in this story, tell me in the reviews!**

**I love you all and I hope to talk to you all again soon! My muse is returning… slowly.**


	22. Endgame

**SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE SERIES FINALE OF YOUNG JUSTICE, DO NOT READ.**

**I haven't updated in 8 months. I haven't written in a long, long time. I never finished the Olympics bit, and I don't know if I will. I'll certainly try, but just know that this story here is the last one I'll ever be adding to this collection, with the exception of Track and Field part 2, tentatively. With the ending of Young Justice, I think it's time for me to stop writing fanfiction for a while, officially. Maybe I'll write a one-shot here and there, but for now, I'm going to leave my account behind. Kind of like hanging up a hat. I know I haven't been a reliable author, but it's been a crazy few years we've had together, hasn't it? I love all of you very, very much and thank you for being so supportive of everything. I hate that it's come to this, and I want you all to know that I love you. Enjoy Endgame!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned YJ, the show would not be ending. I would sell it to a different channel.**

The sinking feeling she had told her everything she needed to know. Her heart was as numb as her midriff in the icy Antarctic wasteland. She watched as the tall, red-clad hero walked over to where she stood silently extremely slowly, despite the fact that he was a speedster.

Wind whistled in her ears, turning her temporarily deaf as she refused to hear the older man when he began to speak. Finally, tears beginning to gather in the rim of her eye, she begged herself to listen to the Flash. She was a hero, a fighter! She needed to know what happened.

"He wanted me to tell you… he loved you," Barry told her, mournfully. No amount of training prepared her for something like this. The tears that had built up spilled over and she collapsed, sobbing hysterically.

Wally was her anchor, her rock, her entire life. What was she going to do now?

* * *

><p>"Why'd you have to go do something so stupid? You couldn't have kissed me goodbye or said anything or… or just STAYED? I hate you so much. Wally West, I want to kill you. I swear, if this is a joke," she paused, chuckling darkly, "I just… I love you and hate you and want to kiss you and punch you in the gut all at the same time, but I can't, can I?" She glared up at the holograph staring down at her sternly, and she sunk to her knees resting her head on its base. "I miss you so much, Wally. I miss you, I love you, and I just can't believe this is it. This is the end." Softly, she continued, "I wish I could spend one more night with you in Palo Alto, eating ice cream and flipping between cheesy romances and action movies on the TV. I wish you could put your arm over my shoulder one more time and call me babe and crack some kind of cheesy joke that were always so annoying." She sighed. "I guess we at least got to go to Paris, Wally, although we're not going to be able to go back there again." Her mind flashed shortly to the second when she was radioing back to the Watchtower to tell them of the couple's success, only to be cut off by Wally pressing his lips firmly to hers. The adrenaline that had pumped through her blood was coursing, making her dizzy and her heart flutter. Her heart always stopped when she was around him, ever since they'd first met. Now her heart was gone, just like him. The tears that had plagued her for the days after the incident threatened to come again, and she sniffed, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you. I don't know how I'll survive."<p>

* * *

><p>That night, Artemis lay in Wally's bed at the West house in Central City. After the incident, she'd refused to return to the Palo Alto flat and Mary and Rudy had offered to take her in. She clutched at the comforter, bringing it up to her nose to smell it. It still had that scent that she associated with him: leaves, pine, and Autumn air. Soon, her breathing slowed and she fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming.<p>

In her dream, a boy approached her, holding a beaker as if he was just about to perform an experiment.

"Hello," he said, his pre-pubescent voice high-pitched and whiny. "Why do you look so sad?" he asked her, curiously.

Artemis smiled at him, "I lost someone very important to me. Are you lost?"

The boy shook his head, "No, I'm not lost. I've been sent to find you, actually. You'll have to follow me." He grabbed her by the hand, and she noticed his was slightly grimy, as if he'd been playing outside in the dirt. The little boy dragged her along until a building began to loom over them.

"Sunningdale Retirement Home," Artemis read. "What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I have a friend who wants to meet you!" the boy told her excitedly, dragging her along till they reached the lobby. An old man sat in a chair in the corner, weathered hands holding a newspaper. Artemis and the boy approached him, and he lowered his paper to study them.

"Hello, I'm glad you could make it," he told them. The boy grinned. The old man smiled kindly back at him and looked at Artemis, "I am so sorry. You have faced great loss at a young age. I know how you feel. I lost the love of my life when I was about your age." His eyes were green, the only thing not faded by age. "I understand you have unfinished business to take care of?" he asked Artemis.

She frowned, "Unfinished business?" she asked him. "I'm not sure what you mean."

He creaked to his feet and turned to walk through a door adjacent to the lobby. "Follow me, dear. You'll need to come through here to get to the office. I have a friend I'd like you to meet. He can help you."

Leaving the young boy behind, Artemis followed the old man through the door and down a long corridor before they stopped at a simple wooden door. The man gestured to it and said, "This is where I leave you. Good luck, my dear." He left her, disappearing into thin air.

Tentatively, Artemis reached out to grip the cool metal doorknob and she twisted it slowly, almost expecting to feel tension and the door to be locked. The door opened with ease and she stepped in to a very bare, very normal looking room with the only thing of splendor being a window that looked out on the Eiffel Tower. A familiar young man stood in front of her with flaming red hair, his back turned. She could see muscles tough from training rippling under the thin t-shirt he wore. Almost terrified to scare him away, she whispered, "Wally?"

He turned, eyes sad and tired. "Babe, I am so sorry."

She couldn't stand there anymore. Sprinting foreword, she vaulted herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him like she'd never kissed him before. The tears were back, dripping down her cheeks, making the kiss taste of salt. She broke the kiss, but squeezed him tightly, refusing to let him go.

"Babe, I can't stay, you know I can't," he told her. "Just, before I go, I needed to tell you that I love you more than anyone and I always have. And Artemis?" he asked her, looking down. "I love you, and you love me, but please don't let yourself die alone. Please find someone who will take care of you and love you as much as I do."

Artemis opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off with a final kiss.

"Promise me," he said. "Just promise…"

Artemis awoke, jolting upright in the bed. It was still dark outside, just barely two in the morning. Shaking her head, she lay back down and immediately drifted back to sleep, a slight smile gracing her lips as the last thing she noticed was the smell of pine, just a little bit stronger than usual.

**And there you have it! The final installment of Have Yourself Your Own Spitfire is completed. I know it was kind of short, but you can only write so much when you're sad. Did I nail or fail my last update? Please leave your reviews and whatnot and I hope I'll be back in the future to write some more! This has been an incredible past two years or so and I've learned so much from all of your critiques and compliments. Again, thank you and I love you all! **

**~Val**


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